Stitched Together
by snakebit1995
Summary: There is a Guardian of the Third Floor of the tomb, a dark creature that has mastered all sorts of Dark Hexes and Curses. Stitchstix Willowind seeks nothing more than to serve the Masters of it's home and do experiments on everything else. Contains- OC
1. Chapter 1

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Something New, Enjoy!**

* * *

 **NO POV**

Albedo stepped quickly through the third floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The third floor is the last of the "Upper Grave" floors, it is also known as the Marsh of Decay.

"This place is disgusting." She approached a dilapidated shack near the center.

She pushed the squeaky wooden door open and entered a room crawling with bugs and shadows. Around the room were scattered papers, boney talismans, discarded or brewing potions bottles, and in the center bed was a lump of rags.

"You fool sleeping at a time like this." She said "Get up!"

"KEKEKEA!" the pile on the bed sat up and tilted its head.

Staring back at Albedo was a five-and-a-half-foot scarecrow looking creature. Its body was made from what looked to be tattered burlap, its head was some bizarre triangle sack that limped back at the top. Its mouth looked to have been stitched shut and its eyes were an inky blackness with two darting purple pinpricks floating around. Shadow wisps of steam like gas seemed to leak out of the stitching and zippers around the creature's body and it giggled like a madman.

"Shush." It held a wispy fabric finger up to its lips.

"I don't have time to play around." Albedo sighed.

"Fine, fine!" the creature said as the stitches around its mouth popped open only to reseal each time it closed its 'lips' "What do you want?"

"Lord Momonga has summoned the Guardians to the sixth floor, that includes you, the guardian of Floor Three." Albedo said.

The scarecrow like creature walked with a hunch, it's arms in front of it "Oh Master wants to see all of us, how rare, KEHAHA How fun! Still…"

"What?" Albedo asked.

"I feel like I was sleeping for a long time and only just awoke." it hummed "What interesting magic!"

"I am going deeper to alert the rest." Albedo said "Make yourself quick."

"Right." It snickered

After Albedo left the scarecrow creature held up its hand and created a portal to move to the other floors.

"You're here quickly." It stepped out seeing a pale white girl in a dress "Shalltear."

"I could say the same to you, you annoying like doll." The vampire scoffed.

"It would seem we've all arrived." Albedo walked in with a demonic man.

The creature looked around and saw that the other Guardians had also arrived, Aura and Mare of the Sixth, Cocytus of the Fifth, and now the Seventh Floor Guardian Demiurge. All of them were now standing before a large skeletal man.

"Now Then pledge your loyalty to the Supreme Leader." Albedo told them.

The kneeled in order of their floors.

"Guardian of the First and Second Floors, Shalltear Bloodfallen." The Vampire bowed "I live to serve"

The scarecrow kneeled next "Guardian of the Thrid Floor, Stitchstix Willowind. I live to serve."

The large beetle looking creature bowed next and introduced itself and so the others followed.

"With the exception of Gargantua of Floor Four and Victim of Floor Eight all the guardians have assembled before you." Albedo said "Please give us your orders supreme leader and we shall grant whatever it is you desire."

"…Splendid." The large skeletal master said "Now the Great Tomb of Nazarick is currently in a strange situation, does anyone know of this."

"None of us have anything to report." Albedo said.

The head butler, Sebas, returned and reported that the tomb was now in an unknown grassland.

"I see." The Master said "Demiurge and Albedo, you will be tasked with security up to the tenth level, Stitchstix you will assist them with checking in on the traps. Aura and Mare, can you conceal the tomb?"

"Would covering the walls with soil to camouflage be acceptable?" Mare asked.

"You'd dare to defile the walls of the great tomb with dirt?!" Albedo roared.

"So cranky." The strawman laughed loudly.

"Do not open your mouth so easily Albedo!" Momonga scolded "I am speaking with Mare!"

"I…I apologize." She bowed.

"Kekeke." Stitchstix snickered.

"Mare I think that is a good idea, create some dummy hills as well so it doesn't stand out." Momonga told him "Lastly, I want to ask what sort of individual you all see me as?"

"Why the embodiment of beauty." Shalltear said "There is no other like you."

"An existence stronger than us all." Cocytus said "A being suited to ruling the tomb."

"Magical Genius!" Stitchstix yelled "Smarter than any caster before!"

"Y-You're really nice!" Mare said.

"A most compassionate lord." Aura added.

"Wise, capable of swift action." Demiurge smiled.

"A perfect leader, the one we serve." Albedo said "And the one I love."

"I see…thank you, I will entrust you with the duties." Momonga said.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Kekeke." I snickered laying a trap on the floor "How long are you going to stare at me from over there?"

"Master…" a voice called.

"Entoma." I turned to look at the bug like Pleiades "What do you want?"

"Do you require any assistance?" she tiled her head, she spoke but her mouth never opened.

"Who do you think you're asking." I glared.

"I apologize." She bowed.

"I didn't mean to sound so harsh my dear." I said "Seeing you just reminds this one of-."

"Mistress SomberEvening?" she asked.

"Yes." I mumbled.

Mistress SomberEvening was the Supreme Being that created me, an Arachne Witch, a master of Hexes and all manner of black magics then slowly she stopped needing of me…and stopped needing of the Tomb all together.

"Entoma who am I?" I asked.

"You are The Guardian of the Third floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Hex Crafter Stitchstix Willowind." She said "Hmm…yes I see."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You are to meet Lady Albedo at once and prepare for battle." She said.

"Hehe…KEKEKEK!" I laughed as the stiches around my mouth popped "How exciting! I wonder Entoma, how will the people of this world melt to my Hexes! This place is different so strange it is, I can't wait to run all sorts of fun experiments!"

" **GATE!"** I opened a portal to the upper floors "I leaving to deal with this, I'll leave the rest of the traps to you my dear."

"Of course, Master." Entoma bowed.

I arrived in the main hall and saw Albedo waiting in her full black armor.

"Shall we depart then?" I tilted my head.

"If a single hair on Lord Momonga's head is harmed due to your delay I'll personal pull out every stitch of your body." Albedo said.

"Well good thing he doesn't have hair than! KEKEKE!" I laughed opening another gate "Besides, you wouldn't want to undo my stitching, it would be bad for your health."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I just watched all of Overlord and now I'm reading it and I really like it, and when I like something I can't help but write about it.**

 **For Stitchstix the inspiration was a little bit of Scarecrow from Batman, a little of the Hoodlums from Rayman 3 and a dash of Greirat from Dark Souls three (Mostly for the hood.)**

 **Till Next Time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Sneaking

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"We're here!" I cackled stepping out of the portal.

"I'm sorry it took us so long." Albedo told Master "This one was dragging its feet."

"I was not!" I hissed "Lord, what do you need of me?"

I looked over and saw two cowering humans.

"Playthings already?" I smiled.

"Knock it off." He scolded "You terrify them, we're here to save this village."

"Hmm." I squinted.

 _No…no! NO! NO!_

"I was so looking forward to playing with them." I growled.

"Here drink this." The lord gave them a healing potion.

 _He shows kindness to the lowly humans…it bares more questioning._

The Lord told them that his name was Ainz Ooal Gown, he also instructed Albedo and I to call him the same for now.

"Stitchstix you remain at the rear for now, your ghoulish appearance will only terrify any humans we come across." He said.

"I could use the Glamor spell to hide my face." I told him "But this one will do as you ask and watch on from the shadows."

It got boring in the shadows, watching Master have all the killing the humans, in the end I never had any reason to come at all, I was just a glorified teleport spell for Albedo.

 _He does know that she can use that spell, too right?_

We later returned to the Tomb where Lord Momonga told us from this point on we were to address him as Ainz Ooal Gown, and our tasks were to focus on his benefit at all costs.

"Listen all of you." Albedo addressed us "Your tasks, and the current goal of Nazarick, is to help Lord Ainz obtain the world."

"Oh how exciting!" I chewed on my fingers "So much fun!"

"Go back to your shack already Raggedy Ann." Shalltear said.

"What was that you old hag." I tilted my head "You may not be able to die but my pets will make you look like mincemeat."

"Enough both of you." Cocytus warned

"You want to have fun too you over grown bug?" I asked "What was it my Mistress called you, a Beetle Borg?"

"Enough of this!" Albedo silenced us all "Take to the tasks you are needed for."

"Yes." We all nodded.

I used Gate to get back to my floor and tipped about my shack, feeding some of the bugs, playing, checking on some materials and more.

"Entoma." I called out.

"Yes Master?" she stepped out from behind a wall.

"You were not only created by Mistress to serve as one of the Pleiades but also as my servant." I said.

"That is correct." She bowed "Only Lord Sebas and Lord Ainz have the power to overrule your commands of me."

"Exactly my dear." I bent over and smiled "And what where we tasked with by Albedo?"

"To help Lord Ainz plan for world domination." She said.

"Correct again." I smiled "Exploring this world…It's got me so excited I might pop a stitch!"

"Please don't do that Sir." She said.

"What was that?" I glared "What did you just call me?!"

"I apologize." She bowed "I hadn't meant to offend S- I mean Master."

"Good, this one will not be known by such a name." I said.

"Of course," she smiled "Though Master how do you plan on assisting Lord Ainz."

"I was made to be good at many dark magic hexes, death, poison, insect, nightmare and more." I smiled "All of these have their uses, especially in spying and subterfuge."

"Excellent idea Master." She clapped her pincers "But umm, how?"

"Lord Ainz told us all sorts of fun things about the new lands, the three countries around us." I said "We're not allowed to touch the Theocracy for now but let's say you and I have some fun with the Re-Estize Kingdom."

"Are you sure Lord Ainz will approve?" she asked.

"It's just planting a few…listening bugs." I smiled wide "All for his benefit after all! KEKEKE!"

I held my arm out **"Shadow Hole!"**

A void in space appeared "Let's depart my dear."

"Yes Master!" she jumped in after me.

I entered the shadowy mirror world and walked over to another void door.

"This is the one, do be quiet Entoma." I warned.

I peaked my head in.

 _Under the bed…how spooky!_

"I see no one." Entoma said.

"Good." I crawled out slowly.

I stood up from under the bed and looked at the person sleeping, she was young, with long blond hair and fair skin.

"Wonderful." I smiled "Entoma, make sure no one disturbs me ah but don't kill it would cause such a ruckus."

"Aww, I was hungry." She hummed looking at the door.

" **Hex of Deep Sleep."** I touched the girl's forehead and made her enter a sleep that could not be awoken from except by my power.

I dragged my finger down her cheek "Now my sleeping beauty…who are you?"

I crawled over her, my hands touching her face, as I smiled.

" **Dream Vison!"** I plunged into her mind.

"KEKEKE!" I smiled seeing her secrets "Wonderful."

"Master do keep silent." Entoma said.

"I couldn't help myself." I chewed on my fingers "We stumbled upon the Princess, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself"

"Quite the mouthful." Entoma hummed.

"No there's even more fun." I leaned at her face "This one is just a façade, deep below harbors a vile person."

"Do you plan to expose this and weaken the kingdom?" Entoma asked.

"Not yet my dear, not yet." I smiled leaning my head back "Come!"

Stitching on my shoulder popped open and a small worm with fangs crawled out and down to my fingers.

"A Mind Worm?" Entoma asked

"We need to nurture the darkness in this one's heart." I said letting the creature slither into her ear, a pained look crossing the girls face before she went back to being peaceful in sleep "The Mind Worm will slowly eat away at her kinder façade until the murderous darkness underneath begins to seep through more and more! Soon this kindness she worked so hard to cultivate will be nothing more than something she puts on to please the masses at times."

"Oh, most devilish Master!" Entoma clapped.

" **Moonlight Moth."** I let a few bugs out of my mouth "Spread my pets, I want eyes all over this city."

The Moonlight Moth is a creature that looks like a beautiful sky blue butterfly but in actuality is a moth that can live almost anywhere, their beauty means that most people think they are harmless…this makes them great for peeping in on things.

"Would a blood bug not have been more efficient?" Entoma said.

"It's too easily removed, the moths will spread and give more of a view." I heard stepping "Come Entoma quickly."

"Yes Master."

" **Shadow Hole! Hex Break!"**

I woke the princess and slipped away, back under the shadowy hole I made my way back to the tomb. Once we returned I sent Entoma on her way to attend to some needs around the floor while I went up above.

"And just, where were you?" Demiurge asked.

"I fail to see how that's your business." I said "…Where's the old man?"

"Sebas left with Solution and Shalltear on a mission from Lord Ainz." He said.

"I'm surprised you let that blonde bimbo out with them." I hummed.

"She's quite up to her tasks I assure you." He said "Even more so than Entoma."

"That's enough of that." I leaned over backwards to glare "I won't stand for those speaking ill of my dear Entoma."

"Ah…of course." He gave me that annoying sly smile "I have my own work to do."

"Then get too it and stay away from my lab...and Entoma." I went back to walking.

 _Demiurge one of the only ones to remove one of my blood bugs from his body._

Blood Bugs, like the Moonlight Moth they are another spying insect, a beetle like creature similar and size and shape to the feeble lady bug It enters a host and lives in the blood stream, it's perfectly harmless to most, though those with weaker constitutions may find themselves feeling ill for a time. By implanting them in people I can use them to keep an eye on my…compatriots, unfortunately a few are too smart for their own good and exterminate my poor pets.

"This world has so many possibilities!" I snickered "and I'm just starting to play in it!"

I looked over "What's that my pets…Oh…show me **Dreamer's screen!"**

I pulled up a magical panel that showed me what one of my Moths was seeing.

"Oh, the princess is so devilish." I smirked as I saw her standing over the corpse of one of her maids, a bloody fire poker in her hand "I hadn't expected that personality to truly be so dominant already making a move on the first night, though I do hope she isn't so susceptible to the Mind Worm, if she goes on some murderous rampage things would get bad."

"I heard you speaking about Climb." She jabbed the body "How dare you, I'll smash you into little bits!"

"I see." I smiled "We'll need to keep an eye on this Climb fellow as well, **Message!** "

I placed a finger on the side of my head.

"How can I help you Master?" Entoma asked, speaking back telepathically.

"I need you to make sure a mess gets cleaned up." I hummed.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Glamor

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Haa!" I sighed kicking my feet and gloating around on a black cloud, laying on my stomach.

"What's the problem Master?" Entoma asked.

"I'm bored!" I groaned rolling around "So dreadfully bored! Lord Ainz is out playing human and our little Princess has been too busy planning some attack with an adventuring team to be her vile self."

"Then what should we do?" she asked.

"I need to stretch my legs around town." I sighed "Ugh but I can't go killing can I?"

" **Glamor!"**

I used a hex to change my appearance to a more…human look.

"Is it fitting?" I asked Entoma.

"Most handsome Master!" she clicked "A real piece of man! I'm salivating just looking at you."

"Don't say such nonsense." I walked over to a mirror "I hate looking so…male and human."

My Glamor hex allows me to assume a human form, it's that of a younger man with slicked back black hair, fairer skin, simple yet attractive looks.

"Well then I'll be going out." I opened a gate "Don't wait for me, and don't eat any of my experiments, if your hungry, go bother the Roach on floor two."

"Yes Master." She bowed.

I teleported my way into the smaller town I had heard the adventurer's guild was in this town so I was going to have to be on my toes for a bit to make sure I didn't happen to cross paths with Narberal or Lord Ainz.

"Hey Mister do you want to buy some flowers?" a little girl asked.

"What did you just call me?" I stared down at her.

"I'm sorry?" she was confused, nearly hiding behind her black hair.

 _Control yourself…_

"Never mind." I looked at her little table.

 _Studying the flora of this world would be beneficial to me, I need to know what I'll be dealing with._

"I'll take one of everything." I told her.

 _She's just a kid so I'm guessing she won't know the difference if I give her an Yggdrasil coin…not to mention a few of those are definitely poisonous plants, she should thank me for getting rid of them._

I paid the girl and obtained my new possessions, with these I should be able to conduct more research and grow more stock if I need it. I kept walking down the street and came across a interesting little shop.

"A Pharmacy?" I tilted my head "Wonderful, I could stand to learn about the brewing methods and styles of this place."

I pushed the door open and stepped into the small cramped little place. The walls were lined with potions and other plants.

"Welcome Sir." A boy with hair so long and raggy he couldn't see passed it.

"Tsk." I growled a bit "yes, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions or me."

"Of course I'll try my best." He smiled.

"Nfirea." An old woman's voice asked "Everything alright out there?"

"It's fine." He called back "Just helping a customer."

"You are an herbalist?" I asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Then could you identify these for me?" I placed the flowers I bought down.

He nodded and looked at a few and told me what they were.

"If I were you I would be careful with some of these." He said "They're quite poisonous."

"Good to know." I smiled "Speaking of such a thing do you perhaps sell any poisons?"

"Oh no sir we don't sell anything dangerous like that here." He said "Whatever would you need something like that for?"

"Merely asking is all." I said.

 _So poison is considered Taboo…_

"We only sell healing products here, things like antidotes and healing potions." Nfirea told me.

"Like that?" I asked looking at the counter and seeing a small vial with a blue liquid in it.

"Yes, this is one of our batch." He said.

"Why is it blue?" I asked.

"A side effect of the brewing process causes the potion to turn blue." He told me "Though I did have a woman with a red potion pass through this morning. I've never seen one like it before, she said she got it from-oh never mind."

"Hmm." I gathered my things and left.

"Oh good bye sir." He said as I stepped out.

I got out onto the street and started to walk away.

"Heh." I smiled happily "Lord Ainz…just what are you playing at giving out something like that so casually?"

* * *

 **Later**

"Did you have a good trip Master?" Entoma asked as I arrived back.

"It was worthwhile." I placed the flowers down and dispelled my disguise "Did anything happen while I was out?"

"…" she was silent.

"Entoma I asked you a question." I looked back "You answer when I speak to you."

"Of course, Master." She bowed "Nothing happened."

 _She's lying to me._

"I see." I hummed biting my thumb "We'll see about that."

I looked up at the ceiling "Get down here Widow's Peak."

A widow spider the size of a diner plate descended from the ceiling.

" **Dream Vision!"**

I plunged into the mind of the spider, seeing what it had seen of my shack while I was gone.

"Albedo was here?" I asked "Entoma…where were you."

"I was-."

"Stuffing your face, again weren't you?" I sneered "You're an insatiable little glutton."

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's time's like this I wonder if you're really repentant or not, your statue of a face betrays your emotion." I touched her forehead "And your voice is no better…I will trust you for now."

I looked at her mask.

 _Mistress Somber…must you have made he look this way?_

* * *

" _ **I'm giving you an override the others won't know about Stitch, you are to look after Entoma Vasilissa Zeta at all costs consider her a priority over all the other NPCs, after all the hard work we did consider her like-."**_

* * *

"Is something wrong?" Entoma asked when I ran my hand over my face.

"An unpleasant thought." I hummed.

"Even you have such things like that?" she asked again.

I didn't respond to her question.

"Master?" she asked.

"I can't help but wonder why create you only to leave us here mere weeks later." I mumbled "Never mind that for now."

Entoma tilted her head.

"My dear Entoma." I dragged my fabric finger on her mask "You won't leave me will you?"

"…I will never leave you." She said.

"I've got some business to attend to at the moment." I opened a portal up a floor "In the meantime you watch the shack, and this time don't go wandering off."

"Till you return Master." She bowed.

I went deeper to the throne room.

"Albedo!" I called out.

"HMM!"

"Annoying sounds." I pushed open the door.

"Stitchstix!" she yelled as I stared at her in Lord Ainz bed.

"This is just sad." I sighed.

"How dare you barge in to Lord Ainz' room without a knock!" she scolded getting out of the bed "What if he and I had been-HMM!"

"I'm the smartest of the guardians." I smirked "more than enough to deduce that you were not here with a male."

"A genderless thing like you barely qualifies as a genius in matters of love." She hummed "What is it?"

"Why are you snooping around my shack, and doing it in such a blatant way, you had to know I have more than enough ways of seeing that you were there." I told her.

"That was exactly my point, you're not quite as sneaky and subtle as you like to think doll." She said "Sneak and sulk all you want but if it endangers Lord Ainz' ambitions…I'll but a stop to it."

"I would never seek to set back the work of a Supreme Being, especially not Lord Ainz." I hummed "But well played, I will reign in my machinations if that is your wish as Leader of the Guardians."

"Lord Ainz is clearly taking things slow, overstepping in any way could complicate things." She said "Don't think or act without his orders."

I nodded "Very well but he requested that I conduct my experiments as necessary to learn the properties of things in this world, I will attempt to keep from causing as mush commotion as possible.."

I stepped out.

"Ungrateful bitch." I walked away "I ought to hex her into an old hag."

"I heard that!"

"Kekeke." I snickered "Though she brings up a good point I would want to cause Lord Ainz undo trouble, I'll keep my little princess to myself but I won't plant any more of my pets that aren't basic unidentifiable spy bugs."

"Now to get back to my work…I have a fresh idea for some new poisons." I teleported myself to my shack "Entoma get me a test subject would you?"

"Of course, Master."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I just wanted to make note of something, I'm trying to write Stitchstix as non-gendered, so others would refer to him as "It" a lot as opposed to He/She though I imagine his voice would be somewhat more masculine in nature. I've never done something like this before, all my other OCs are 'traditionally' gendered so if I mess up and use He/Him by mistake here or there please cut me a little slack. Also, yes he takes a lot of pride in not having a traditional gendered pronoun hence why he gets angry when called "Sir" or some such but he allows Entoma to call him "Master" since he considers it general enough in identity.**

 **I was originally not going to point this out specifically but decided it just be easier to put that card on the table rather than be overly confusing about it.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Mind Control

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is For Attacks**

* * *

 **NO POV**

A beautiful woman skittered about the halls of the Great Tomb on spider like legs, despite her beautiful appearance from the waist down it was hard to miss the spider like body that made up her lower half.

"Making NPCs is such a pain, but it's always worth it to make a new friend." She spoke in a sensual middle-aged voice as she walked up to a table "Her appearance is rather gruesome don't you think Stitch?"

"Yes Lady Somber." Was all it responded.

"Haa…" the Arachne sighed "Look at me talking to NPCs like they can give more than a scripted response."

She turned back to the table where she was scripting her new creation, an Insect summoning bug girl she was calling Entoma. The Guild had decided they needed one more maid for the Pleiades and since the usual maid creator was busy with work for a bit SomberEvening, the guilds Arachne Sorceress, had offered to create this NPC herself.

"Making NPCs is kinda like making a child." She hummed "If only the men I met felt the same way…I'm sick of being single!"

"I'm talking to myself again." She sighed "Stitch bring me that."

"Yes Milady." The doll brought her a bug with a mask looking back.

"You're a good boy aren't you." She patted his head "Well you're not really a boy, technically you're set to genderless…ah well don't hate me for saying that okay."

"Yes." The scarecrow nodded with another scripted response.

"I'm afraid you're a little too gruesome looking to be a maid Entoma." Somber looked at a console "So we'll use this mask bug to hide that…but don't ever think that makes you ugly okay, Mama loves you no matter what you look like."

Again SomberEvening sighed to herself, talking to NPC like they were real, treating them like family maybe she was going a little stir crazy, her job as a manager at a local coffee shop was just too draining.

Still she found something fulfilling about making an NPC like this, still the others always seemed to think her darker creepy tendencies for the NPCs she created were a bit odd.

"I hope no one is mean to Entoma since she doesn't quite fit in with the beauty of the other maids" she thought looking back "Well then I'll make sure that no one is mean to my sweet little girl."

She skittered over to Stitch and pulled up his settings

 **"** I'm giving you an override the others won't know about Stitch, you are to look after Entoma Vasilissa Zeta at all costs consider her a priority over all the other NPCs, after all the hard work we did consider her like-." She mumbled the last bit under her breath "That's silly…hopefully no one looks at these settings it be so embarrassing."

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Hmm." I leaned up and rubbed my face "it was that dream again…"

I looked over and saw Entoma was gone, the shack was quiet save a few skittering bugs and rats, and the fireflies buzzing around the lantern hanging on the ceiling.

"She must be eating still." I hopped up.

Most of the denizens of the Tomb don't need to sleep, though I do at least once every two weeks or so.

"Stitchstix come here quickly." Lord Ainz messaged me.

 _Did Albedo tell him…no…_

I warped my way to the throne room and entered, kneeling near the thrown "How can I help you Lord?"

"Mind Control, what do you know of it?" he asked.

"Difficult to use, takes time to channel but when done correctly it allows you near full control of the entity in question, allowing you to command them as your own." I said "This one would also note that mind control cannot be used on the undead or a creature of sufficiently high level with a proper Inelegances. Wisdom or Charisma Stat, Mind Control magic can usually be broken when the victim dies, resurrecting them breaks the spell on them. That is how it worked in the old world, I'm afraid I have not had the chance to experiment with such hexes in this world as of yet."

I looked at Albedo and noticed she had the Master List opened for Lord Ainz.

"So that's what this is…" I mumbled "Kekeke, My Lord if that vampire hag betrayed you, may I have the body when your done dealing with it?"

"What no you can't!" he said quickly "I haven't even decided what I'm going to do about this yet. Or if Shalltear has done this betrayal because of such magic. If she was displeased I might understand-."

"Displeased?!" Albedo yelled "After all the mercy you've show her?! I'll tear her to pieces."

"That's enough." Lord Ainz said "You were all created by my friends the way they wanted good qualities and bad and I love all of you for that, so if Shalltear is dissatisfied and has betrayed us, it is simply the Peroroncino set out for her."

"Loves us?!" Albedo smiled "He…loves me…"

"Quite the fantasy you crone." I sighed.

"Shut up!" she roared at me.

"I…simply meant all of you." Lord Ainz said.

"All includes me, though right?!" she begged.

"I suppose."

"This is the greatest day of my life!"

"You are pathetic." I sighed.

"Still before we can do anything more we must find Shalltear." Lord Ainz said.

I whistled and a small moth landed on my finger "Find her, don't touch her or interact, I merely need you to lay eyes on the Vampire."

The moth flew off and split into more as it flapped.

"I shall find the location swiftly Lord." I bowed.

It took a while but the moths returned.

"She's just…standing there?" I asked.

* * *

 **Later**

"Finally my time has come." I cackled sitting in a tree.

Lord Ainz had been called by the Adventurers Guild to deal with Shalltear but some annoying man insisted on tagging along, so he was in need of convenient ambush to eliminate the problem.

"Here they come Master." Entoma said.

"Thank you my dear." I smiled wide dropping down in front of them.

"Hello there." I tilted my head.

"A Rouge Doll!" one of them yelled.

 _The man in black armor is Lord Ainz, and that Narberal next to him, okay I won't be able to use my wide range spells I guess._

"I'm no simple doll." I jumped over the one and landed on his back, leaning around to smile "I'm much worse! **Tier Two Spell: Acid Breath!"**

I coughed into his face and melted it off, I slipped forward around another and palmed his chest.

" **Infinite Ringing."** I smiled.

An intense vibration rang out through his armor, shattering his bones into chips.

"You're the last one!" I laughed grabbing his head **"Mind Box!"**

His eyes went blank and everything about his bodily functions stopped.

"Live forever in my nightmare." I smiled wide "Ah well, it's all done, there was no one else right."

Narberal shook her head.

"What a shame I was hoping they'd at lease snip a stitch." I sighed "I'll be taking the bodies with me."

"Very well, see if you can get something out of the bodies." He told me "Though I need you to examine Shalltear."

"Right." I threw the three into a pile "Entoma my dear, give me a hand would you, and no nibbling!"

"But that's the best part." She whined.

"If there's so much as a single finger missing when I get back, I'll turn your blood to acid for a week." I told her "I wouldn't want to punish you now would I?"

"No Master." She bowed.

"Let's go." Lord Ainz said.

"Right." I walked behind him.

We went out into the field and found Shalltear just…standing there.

"It's not like my mind box spell "She's not trapped in a nightmare she's just kinda in a stasis. She was effected even though she was an undead, something tried to control her and either failed, or intentionally choose to give her no orders."

"We need to break this spell without risking drawing her aggression." Lord Ainz held up a finger.

"What's that?" Albedo asked.

"A Ring known as Shooting Star, it allows the holder to cast the Wish spell three times a day." He said.

"The Wish spell is traditionally tricky." I said "It has a tendency to…backfire. Not that you would ever make such a mistake Lord."

"It's all about the wording." Lord Ainz said.

"It's truly super tier magic, I've only heard of such a thing." Albedo looked on.

"It requires the right skillset to you." Lord Ainz stepped forward.

"Using such an important item on a servant, your compassion knows no bounds!" Albedo smiled.

" **Shooting Star, Cure Shalltear of all Status effects!"** He casted the spell, only to have the magic circle around him suddenly shatter.

"It was canceled out?" I quickly looked around "My pets don't see anyone."

"We are leaving now!" Lord Ainz said.

We teleported away, landing in a different field.

"Someone was watching us." I hummed.

"Dammit!" Lord Ainz kicked the ground and sent a shockwave.

"Did something go wrong?" Albedo asked.

"It casted…but the wish was ungrantable?" I wondered

"Only one thing can resist a Super Tier magic spell." Lord Ainz said "I hadn't thought to see one here…a World Level Item."

"Hmm." I hummed.

"Raise the security level of Nazarick to maximum." He told Albedo "And every Guardian is to return immediately."

* * *

 **Later**

"I am not to be tested right now." I told the beasts that roamed my floor "I don't know what's coming but I want you all ready to kill anything out of place."

"RAAA!" the worm's that lived under the swamp, and the other giant beasts roared and went off.

"Is everything alright Master?" Entoma asked.

"I am fine, I was speaking with you as well." I warned "Be ready."

"Yes." She bowed.

 _A world level item…could it really exist out there, things sure are getting fun!_

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Just wanted to touch on something again. I've noticed a few people talking about how Stitch seems too mean to some of the other guardians. It's not that it doesn't respect them, it just doesn't have any problems picking on them a bit. Stitch is a bit of a free spirit, going with its own flow and as a result has no issues with playful nicknames and petty insults. So it's not that it thinks Solution is a stupid bimbo, but that she has the body of one. Basically they aren't meant to be insults but playful jabs, though Stitch definitely thinks lower of the other Pleiades due to its higher opinion of Entoma.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Shalltear

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

In the end Lord Ainz insisted on dealing with Shalltear himself, leaving us to defend our home. With nothing else to do for the time I joined, Albedo and Cocytus to view the spectacle on a screen.

"May I ask you something?" Demiurge came in and took a seat next to Albedo, Cocytus and I were on the opposite couch from them "Why did you let Lord Ainz go alone?"

"Lord Ainz decided that himself." Albedo brushed her hair over her ear.

"You were strongly opposed to him going to the human town yet this time you allowed him to go alone." He aid.

 _It's rare to see these two clash with words like this…_

I looked over at Cocytus, he didn't seem all that concerned yet so I didn't get my strings in a bunch.

"Rather than sit around it would be better for us to attack Shalltear in waves." Demiurge said.

"I'm aware of such, which is why I know Lord Ainz lied in his message to us all earlier." Albedo said.

"Obviously the smarter thing would be to do what you said Demiurge." I tapped my head "But Lord Ainz is a genius, so obviously he knows more than we do."

"Then why did you let him go?" he asked.

"This Lord Ainz is different from a few days ago." Albedo hummed smiling a bit "He looks like a man."

"Well know he's definitely still a skeleton." I laughed "KEKEKE! Sides if we tired to stop him he'd totally blow us all away!"

"My beloved has declared his intentions and it would be inelegant to stand in his way." Albedo explained with her lovestruck drooling "And he promised me that he would return~"

"That's foolish." Demiurge said standing up "Letting emotions control you, Lord Ainz is the last Supreme Being, we must do all we can to protect him, even if it means disobeying an order."

"Where are you going?" Albedo glared a bit "Sit back down Demiurge."

"I'm obviously going to get my subordinates." He looked up only to have Cocytus blocking hi path out of the room "So that was why you called me here."

"Always be a step ahead." I snickered chewing my fingers "I hex locked the door too, none of us are going to be leaving till this is over."

"If we lose Lord Ainz it will be on your heads." Demiurge said.

"He will return." Albedo said "I believe in out master, one of the Supreme Beings that created all of us."

"If we lose Lord Ainz, you'll step down as leader of the Guardians." Demiurge said.

"Hmm." I looked up

"You'd have her step down from a position granted to her by the Supreme Beings?" Cocytus said "Demiurge that's too-."

"Very well." Albedo smiled.

I was sitting with my knees against my chest, feet on the cushions as I looked up at Demiurge.

 _Is that a random empty threat…or something else? As of late Demiurge seems exceptionally testy about things, and the way he's been advising Lord Ainz so much…perhaps I'm over thinking things but to be sure I'll have to keep an extra eye on him._

"Cocytus, what would you say are Lord Ainz' odds of victory?" Albedo asked.

"Seven to three…Lord Ainz is the three." The bug man said.

"Every body loves the underdog!" I laughed.

"Well then let's watch." Albedo pulled up the image on the viewing mirror "I wonder how Lord Ainz will overturn the odds."

The image on the screen was a little bit more of a plain look for the Master. Though I had few doubts that he could win given the right circumstances, and that all depended on how the mind control had affected Shalltear, without being able to examine her before I couldn't be sure just how limited her abilities could be in that form.

 _If she has all her powers…who knows Lord Ainz is smart I'm sure he'll think of something even I couldn't._

The battle began with the slinging of spells, I was surprised to see Shalltear equip her armor right away, it's not something she usually has to put on.

I was surprised again when Shalltear was forced to use her Einherjar, a body double that is just as physically strong as her. I did have a hint of worry creep into the back of my mind when Lord Ainz's MP got drastically low but then he used some sort of item to equip armor.

"That's Lord Touch Me's armor." Cocytus said.

"The spell Perfect Warrior lets you equip the equipment of another class at the cost of your spell casting ability while activated." I explained biting my thumb "How clever he used all his spells and then essentially reclassed mid fight!"

"He had already thought this far ahead." Albedo smiled.

He had so many of those items that allowed him to equip a different weapon in a moment, with this rate of different styles, Shalltear was doomed.

"Maybe your odds were backwards Cocytus." I teased.

"The Supreme One declared that he would win, in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown." Albedo said.

With one more attack Shalltear was weak enough to be hit by the massive spell **Fallen Down** an AOE blast that could level a small village if used unchecked.

"Well then, that was a fun show." I smiled "Should have brought snacks!"

"Let's begin to prepare for the Master's return." Albedo said.

"Right." We all nodded.

* * *

 **Later**

We had to move an absurd amount of gold up to the main hall so we could bring back Shalltear, thankfully when she came back she wasn't under anymore mind control.

"Huh?" the vampire sat up, cloaked in nothing but a sheet "What's going on?"

"It worked." Lord Ainz sighed.

 _I suppose he was unsure about resurrection in this world._

"This was my fault." He sighed again.

"I don't know what's happening but I'm sure it can't possibly be Lord Ainz fault." Shalltear said.

"Shalltear is no doubt tired, you should leave her be." Albedo said.

"That's true." The Master stood up "But I do have something to say, Shalltear, what is the last thing you remember?"

"Hmm…I attacked that mercenary base and…" she squinted her eyes "I can't seem to recall anything else, it's as though it were blank."

I hummed at this.

 _Perhaps I'll take a dive into her mind after she's recovered, see if I can dredge something up._

"Ah my chest!" Shalltear said "They're gone!"

"What are you talking about?!" Albedo yelled.

"What a great reading of the mood." I snickered.

"This situation is all your fault in the first place!" Aura added.

I felt a strange sense of calm, despite what had been some somber mood a moment ago now it felt quaint and happy, as idiotic as the other Guardians may be, they are my allies and losing any of them is not something I would take without recourse.

"Lord Ainz." Albedo took his bony hand "You tell her off as well."

"Yeah let her have it!" Aura cheered.

"Kekeke." I snickered "This just keeps getting more exciting!"

"As leader of Nazarick I will take responsibility for what happened this time." Lord Ainz calmed us "Shalltear is innocent…but this incident has taught us that there is at least one enemy, or maybe more, out there that can do us harm, we will strengthen our defenses at once, I'll be counting on you all."

"Yes Lord!"

* * *

 **Later**

"Hmm." I swirled a potion bottle "A orange poison…that's new!"

I happily scribbled a note down.

 _The plants of this world do so many interesting things._

"I'm back Master." Entoma stepped in "All the traps are fully rearmed."

"Good." I nodded "And that other matter."

"Not a scrap left!" she nodded wiping under her mask "And the bones are sinking into the swamp!"

"Excellent as always my dear." I hummed "Still…"

"Something wrong Master?"

"That's the third body from the princess in the last two weeks." I frowned "I wonder if perhaps the worm is working a little too well…that or she's so psychotic she was hanging to sanity by a thread."

I tapped my fingers "Human minds are such troublesome things Entoma, though our little pet still keeps up her angelic façade so I can't complain."

"Have you learned anything else Master?" she asked.

"Actually I have, you've spoken to Narberal recently correct?" I looked at her and she nodded.

"She's still in the town." She told me.

"In that case I want you to get a message to her, something I heard through the Princess." I said "I want to know what this Black Dust is."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Black Dust

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks.**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"No one is to disturb us is that clear?" I told Entoma.

"Yes Master." She bowed as I closed the door.

I locked it behind her and walked across the room, the creaky floor of the shack the only sound occasionally drowning out the metronome that was ticking on the table in the center of the room.

"Is all this really necessary?" Shalltear asked sitting in one of the chairs at the table.

"Yes." I sat across from her "You are undead meaning you have a natural immunity to my sleep spells so in order for me to travel into your mind to view your memories we'll have to use this roundabout manner."

"If only I could remember this myself." She sighed "Don't go looking at anything your not supposed to."

"This one has no plans for such things, though it will take me time to find the proper path." I said "No Shalltear, clam your mind and focus on my voice."

She blinked as I slid a zipper on my pouch open and pulled out a ring on a chain.

"Follow this." I swayed it side to side "Follow my voice, your mind is at one with mine."

She definitely looked skeptical.

"Now drink this." I handed her a dark green potion.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"You want this to work or not? This is a paralytic that will stun you enough for me to go dive in" I grumbled "I could always use the more invasive method and just cut your brain out!"

"Okay!" she chugged it "Ugh it tastes vile."

"Now Shalltear!" I reached across the table and grabbed her head making her look into my eyes "Open your mind to me! **Dream Vision!"**

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

"It worked." I stood up in the large empty expanse of Shalltear's mind "But I'll need to act quickly before the potion breaks and I'm kicked back out."

Filling her mind were endless mirror, each of them containing memories on the other side, the task now was figuring out which one was her memories from just before the mind control.

"Perhaps here?" I walked up to a square mirror and peered my head in.

Inside was Shalltear at a table with Sebas and Solution standing near her. I stepped through the mirror and over to the table, in this place I was an invisible specter spectator so I was free to move around as needed.

"What good does knowing about some drug outlet do for us?" Shalltear said.

"Perhaps searching there could yield a martial artist of sufficient skill?" Solution posed.

"We're supposed to be sticking to the capital running all the way over there just to find someone isn't worth the trouble or time." Shalltear said "We need someone with Martial Arts skill that Lord Ainz can study."

 _This is the right memory area, it's too soon though, I'll make note of that outlet it might prove useful to me in time._

I stepped back out the mirror and kept looking around.

"Hmm?" I peered my head in another "Uhh?"

"They look lopsided." Shalltear was standing in front of a mirror adjusting her chest.

"This isn't it." I backed out and looked at all the other mirrors "I'm running out of time it has to-that one."

I saw a door, covered in locks and chains.

 _She instinctively cut off the memories…_

" **Knock!"** I unlocked the door and stepped through it.

I stepped into a field where I saw Shalltear attacking some people.

"None of them look to be holding a special item." I hummed as she attacked two people at once, but then the memory instantly started to fade.

"Impossible!" I gasped "She was completely out of it, even her body doesn't remember what happened here?!"

* * *

 **Elsewhere.**

"HA!" I jerked up in my chair "Dammit!"

"Ugh!" Shalltear rubbed her head "Did it work."

"No, it was a less fruitful trip than I would have liked." I grumbled "Whatever affected you erased your memories in a period around the incident, I was unable to learn who used the World level item."

"Well what now?" she asked.

"We accept that this current path has been closed off to us." I unlocked the door "I'm sure Lord Ainz will think of something in time."

* * *

 **Later**

I mentioned to Lord Ainz that I had interest in learning about the drug known as Black Dust and he was kind enough to let me look into it. I used the mental map from Shalltear's dream to go to a plantation out in the boondocks and get some samples from a group called Eight Fingers.

"And you already prepared some notes for me, how useful." I skimmed a notebook while putting some bags in my pouch.

"Stop what your doing now." A girl's voice said.

"How troublesome." I bent over backwards to look at who walked into the barn "Well now…"

This girl that was trying to stop me looked quite young her body was small and her off blonde orange hair was still youthful and shiny, she was wearing a red cloak and her face was covered with a features white mask, but none of that was as interesting as the magic swelling inside her.

"A monster working here?" she wondered.

"You're a special one." I bit my fingers "I think I'll take you home with me! **Shadow Walk!"**

I suddenly turned into shadows and appeared behind her, leaning around with my hand on her face.

" **Crystal Nova!"**

I jumped back when her body erupted with a crystal blast.

"Kekeke!" I laughed "I just wanted to get a good look at your face, see how cute you are so I can compare it to the pain on your face when I kill you!"

 _I'm not wasting my time with her, I need to get out before more problems start.  
_

" **Tier One Hex: Noxious Gust!"**

I blew purple smog at her but the girl simply floated up over it.

" **Resist Toxic!"** she warded herself **"Shard Buckshot!"**

" **Liquid Spray!"** I waved my hand and used acid to melt her attack and smiled "Well now you seem like a special one for sure!"

" **Shadow Walk!"** I jumped and teleported forward "I want to know more about you!"

" **Shard Buckshot!"**

She blasted me square in the chest and I rolled back.

"KEKEKE!" I laughed ripped her spikes out of my body, stuffing falling out "Is that all? Show me more of your magic!"

"You're not human…you're a Living Doll?" she gasped.

"No my dear." I crushed her gem-like spikes in my hand "I'm something even worse! Would you like to see it?!"

I smiled widely as the darkness in the room gathered around me.

 _Will she live...or die, either way I'll learn something interesting about her._

"Let me show you your living nightmare!" I got ready to attack.

 ***SMASH!***

Before I could finish her off the right wall of the barn we were in burst open when someone was thrown through it, a blazing inferno following it in.

"REEEE!" I quickly jumped away as the flames swiped near me "Damn it all, get it away!"

"Evileye are you alright?" a girl with her hair tied up into a pony tail dashed in.

"You shouldn't be here Tia, there's Black Dust in the air." The masked girl said "I can handle this thing."

 _Lord Ainz said not to make too much of a mess…these two seem to have already done that for me._

"I'm afraid this will be the end of this duel." I slipped into the shadows "But I do hope to cross spells with you again…Miss Evileye."

* * *

 **Later**

"It would seem you had an eventful trip Master." Entoma said as I laid down.

"You could call it that." I hummed skimming the notebook from my bag.

"Please relax this will only take a second." She nodded as a spider crawled onto her arms.

"I'll leave the repairs to you then." I said as the creature started spinning thread and Entoma began closing the holes that buckshot had left in my body.

"These are all boring locations like brothels…" I mumbled reading "Oh but this is interesting, it's not technically illegal Black Dust is an anesthetic that has some side effects."

"Are they useful?" Entoma asked.

"It has no withdrawal symptoms." I read the notes "But multiple subjects were noted to have a decrease in brain tissue mass, up to eighty percent! Oh, how delightful!"

I tapped my fingers on my cheek as my maid finished patching the hole in my body "Entoma dear could you head to the prison and procure me a few test subjects, I'll need to verify these results for myself."

"Yes Master." She left right away.

"Hmm." I looked in the mirror, my body was already a patchwork of stitching and fabric from passed battles "It's been a while since I saw my own stuffing like that."

"Evileye!" I laughed "You are special aren't you girl! I was fortunate that you got to live! You're not quite ripe enough yet!"

 _That girl, what was behind that mask? So many questions to answer with her…I want to know more!_

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Experiment

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"AHHAHAA!"

"Oh quit your screaming!" I yelled twisting my hands "This is nothing!"

I was doing some experiments on one of the prisoners.

"RAH!" I pulled my hand out and managed to rip out his tooth "Well there we go."

It was somewhat sickly looking, yellow with some balck spots, I reached over and dropped it into a dish Entoma was holding.

"Master?" Entoma spoke up as I knocked the test subject back out "Would it not have been easier to put the subjects to sleep during your experiments?"

"Well yeah." I leaned back and snickered "But where's the fun in that!"

"How devious Master." She smiled only in voice.

"Still." I hummed walking over to some scattered papers on a table and tapped a jar "I was able to confirm the brain shrinkage caused by Black Dust…do be careful with what you eat for some time Entoma, I would hate for the side effects to be transferable through ingestion."

"Okay Master." She nodded.

"What other experiments are on today's agenda?" I asked.

"The potions need checking on, and I don't think you checked on the princess in some time." She said looking off "I'm sorry Master that will all have to wait, Lord Ainz would like to see us."

"Right." I stepped out and opened a portal "Let's not waste any time then."

I took Entoma to the throne room and knelt before Lord Ainz throne.

"You summoned us?" I asked.

"Albedo." He instructed the demonic woman to speak.

"You are aware that Nazarick is currently preparing an attack on the Lizardman settlement correct?" she asked.

"Yes, and frankly it's taking too long since I had expected to have some bodies to use by now." I told her "I want to see how they react compared to a human counterpart, both for Lord Ainz necromancy and my own experiments."

"Sir Cocytus is in charge correct?" Entoma tilted her head.

"Yes, Entoma go and watch him." Albedo said.

 _Why?_

"Do you want me to watch Lord Cocytus in case he rebels?" she asked.

"If it's such a thing as spying I am more than capable, there's no need to send Entoma to a battle zone for such things." I said.

"Entoma will go." Lord Ainz said "While it is possible that Cocytus could come under a similar influence as Shalltear a proud warrior like him would never betray an ally."

"Entoma you are merely to observe Cocytus from a more neutral prospective, understood?" Albedo asked.

"…understood." she nodded

"You seem unsure of the situation." Lord Ainz said.

"That's not the case." She said.

"If you have a question I will answer it." Lord Ainz said.

"If you wanted an impartial perspective would Master's bugs not be more up to the task?" she asked "but more so…is this war worth documenting? Sir Cocytus can crush the Lizardmen with ease can he not?"

"I must admit." I spoke up "I was thinking the same…pardon my speaking out of turn my Lord but is it possible you think that Cocytus will lose?"

"…correct." He hummed.

"Very well, Entoma stay out of trouble." I told her "I'll handle my experiments on my own for a time, I'll get one of my area guardians to assist me."

"Yes Master." She bowed.

"And do stay off the front line my dear." I touched her head "I would hate for anything to damage you."

She seemed to click contently at that.

"Of course, Master, I will return as soon as I can." She nodded.

"Albedo…when you have time later pay me a visit." I teleported away "I have something to speak about with you."

* * *

 **Later**

"No change." I swirled a potion "What about their production methods turns potions blue, Cherrygrowl make a note of this."

"Yes."

Cherrygrowl, a mangrove treant and one of the few underlings I keep around. His body is composed entirely of wood and leaves. His head is almost afro like with bizarre black fruits growing off it, his face is older and withered looking, though that's to be expected when it's made of wood. The one bright-side is that he doesn't talk too much. He's actually not that large for a Treant, no bigger than Cocytus, long lanky arms that nearly brush the ground, large root like toes and a body covered in a suit made of vines, leaves and some spare ornamental fabrics.

 _We don't really need to use healing potions here but they are so rare in the human kingdoms that having a few spare can't heart._

"Hmm…" I tapped my fingers on my head "What else was it I needed to do, ah right a check of our dear princess."

I pulled up a sight screen and saw her once again having tea with that other blonde girl…and that ninja from the other night.

"This Lakyus." I hummed "she the leader of the Blue Rose, the group Evileye was a member of."

I twitched a bit "That black sword though I want to know more about it, I overheard her mention to the princess it has a certain supernatural pull to it, perhaps I could implant a worm in her as well and see if I can make her crack!"

"What are you scheming this time?" Albedo stepped in, a little dirt brushing the bottom of her dress.

"Nothing." I quickly vanished the screen.

"Still playing with your toy?" she asked.

"It's all part of the long game to make the kingdom crumble into Lord Ainz hands." I smiled wide "I'm sure a genius like him is already a step ahead of me."

"You asked me to meet you, what do you want?" she asked.

"Right." I hopped off my stool and strode up to her "Are you trying to piss me off a bit?"

"Pardon?" she asked.

"Sending Entoma to Cocytus side." I hummed "what reason do you have for doing that, if you wanted an impartial observer CZ Delta is more than fit for a task like that."

"CZ is better suited as a sentry in Nazarick, the other Pleaides are all already working on other tasks for Lord Ainz, Entoma was the only other choice."

"Very well." I hummed "I can accept that line of reasoning."

"I understand you would like your precious Entoma kept out of any potential harm." Albedo said "But she is more than capable of handling herself."

"That is something I am well aware of." I handed Cherrygrowl a rack of discolored potions "These are all rejects, just dump them into the maggot pile they'll eat anything."

"Of course Master." He took the tray "While I am out in the swamp shall I attend to the needs of the other Area Guardians as well, Lady Entoma usually does those sorts of things."

"That would be perfect, make sure the other two aren't making a mess of things if you would." I nodded sending him off.

Once the tree man was well out of the lab I spoke again.

"I know Entoma can take care of herself, she's strong." I told Albedo "But I don't want her getting hurt is all."

Albedo nodded "But that is no reason to treat her like some precious porcelain doll…even if she might look like one."

I made a black smoke cloud appear so that I could float up to a higher shelf "Maybe I am being a bit too protective, enough talk about her how goes the lizardman situation."

"Cocytus has sent them a forewarning so the battle will begin soon." Albedo said "Fret not you'll have your test subjects before long."

"Wonderful…but I don't understand," I moved some items on the shelf "Why would Lord Ainz send such a weak force, why not just flatten them swiftly?"

"Lord Ainz is surely thinking multiple steps ahead." Albedo commented looking at a box in the corner.

"Don't touch that." I warned "You'll fill the whole room with toxic smog."

"You're devices and experiments." She rolled her eyes "Can't you ever just make something practical."

"Where's the fun in that? KEKEKE!" I laughed dropping down.

"What on earth is this?" she looked at a human shaped cage with spikes lining the inside.

"Kekeke." I laughed "I'm saving that for someone special."

"Well you still should clean this place up." She looked at her dirty dress "It's a mess."

"Everything has its place." I smiled.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Floor 3

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **NO POV**

The Third Floor in the Great Tomb of Nazarick is known as The Grave Swamp. It lies between the upper two Mausoleum floors controlled by Shalltear and the Fourth floor, the Lake, controlled by Gargantua. The Third floor is wreathed in a state of near constant dark dreariness with thick fog filling it, poisonous pits, insect infestations and more vermin. It exists mostly as a transitionary location between the upper floors and the lake though it has it's own sights worth seeing.

The first of these is nothing more than a shack, the home of this floors Guardian, Stitchstix. From the outside it looks like a rundown wooden shed ripped straight from a bayou in southeastern US, but the inside…is even worse. The floor is rotting, the ceiling is cracked and missing boards, there are bugs, bones and other creepy crafts lying strewn about. The only normal looking thing here would be the bed that sits in the center of the room and even that looks decrepit with stuffing falling out and mold on the lower sheets.

"HMPH!" Stitchstix rose from the bed with a content stretch "Entoma is still out…I suppose I'll get to work."

The hierarchy of Nazarick is much simpler than it looks, at the top lie the Supreme Beings, in this case there's only one left so that is Ainz, under him are the Floor Guardians led by Albedo, each floor has a Guardian save for the first and second which share Shalltear as their guardian. Each of the floors has its own smaller locations within, these are under the next level of leadership the Area Guardians. Area Guardians are like the captains of a Floor Guardian's troops, though they share the word guardian when used as a proper noun it traditionally referees to only the Floor Guardians. After that come basic soldiers and underlings. The Pleiades' maids exist in a sort of limbo outside the overall hierarchy though they usually are place on a slightly equal to subordinate standing to the Floor Guardians.

It's for this reason that Stitchstix is usually able to sent its assistant Entoma to deal with the issue that arise on the Third Floor, while Entoma is not a formal member of the Third Floor's army due to her position in the Pleaides her relationship with this floors master begets her certain privileges and respects.

Thus, without her around Stitchstix was forced to make a longer commute to its lab and deal with the three Area Guardians of Floor three on its own. The First stop is the area that most invaders would come across first if they were to enter this floor, the Rock Garden.

The Rock Garden is placed with at the entrance from the above floor, it actually has very few rocks in the traditional sense and any one who looked at the rocks for more than a few moments would realize that they are not rocks, but statues.

"Haa, what beauty." A madonna like voice hummed as Stitchstix stepped over the pained expression forever locked onto a head that had fallen off one of the statues "Don't you agree my liege?"

"I prefer less subjective things like science." The doll said "Phe I'm on my way to the lab, I anticipate being there most of the day unless summoned by Lord Ainz, I'll be leaving security to you for the day, try not to let to many of Shalltear's rabble down here would you."

Phestroxa Deiadnuzo, Phe for short, was one of the Area Guardians for the Third Floor. A self-proclaimed sculptor and artist Phestroxa has a passion for the arts and for capturing what she calls the beauty of life's final breath a task made easy by her stone gaze an ability she has due to her being a Gorgon.

"Of coursssse." She hissed "Though will any of today's experiments lead to new playthingsss? My inssspiration is waning."

Phestroxa is a vision of beauty even with her snake like features, her face is like that of a model, her body just as endowed save for below the hips where instead of legs she sports a green black snake tail, if you stretched her from tail to the tip of her head she'd probably top out at nearly thirteen feet long, at least five of that is snake tail the other six is her unnaturally tall human like upper half. Her body is clothed in a dark black toga like dress while her head is adorned with a small tiara, one curious note is that while most Gorgons leave their snake like hair free moving in a fan like shape around their heads Phestroxa has chosen to tie hers back in ponytail like fashion…the snakes don't seem to mind.

"I might have a reject to dump today, we'll see." Stitchstix left her.

The next stop for the Floor Guardian was the Dead Wood, a forest in the center of the floor full of oversized spiders, webs, trees with bodies and ripped clothing hanging from them, as well as a few more giant insects and creatures set up to defend this area.

Though not all was as it seemed for some of these trees were alive, treants that had planted themselves here to stay hidden among the trees. Swamp Treants tend to be a bit more aggressive than their traditional brethren who are rather peaceful provided their habitats are left unharmed by pollution or logging and these were no exception as indicated by the bones and clothing hanging from the branches. Without the proper skills it was nearly impossible to distinguish a disguised treant from a normal tree.

"Master you grace us with your visit." Cherrygrowl, the leader of the treants and the second Area guardian bowed and spoke in a softer tone with a hint of an Indian accent, Indian like the country as opposed to Native American.

He was tall, also topping out at about the size of Cocytus which is actually considered small for a treant. His body was composed of gnarled wood and clothes in vibrant silken robes no doubt made from or by the giant spiders that can be found in these woods. His body had a bit of an odd shape as a result his arms were exceptionally long while his legs were a bit stubbier, his arms were probably almost five feet long, brushing passed his knees if he were to stand up straight.

While most treants tend to remain silent…

"If you require assistance in the laboratory I have no issues coming to assist you." Cherry said "As a matter of fact I would take great honor in doing such, our names would go down in history with the discoveries we could make, though of course you would be doing the work I would merely be observing your greatness-."

"Shut up!" Stitch groaned.

Cherrygrowl has a tendency to not be silent, while he doesn't speak all that much when he does he's a bit of a motor mouth, he never shuts up.

"I'll be working alone today, I'll leave the administrative things to you." Stitchstix said "Feed the bugs too."

"Of course, Master it would be my pleasure." The treant bowed, waving his long lanky arms over its mid-section.

Stitchstix nodded but than sighed, before he could get to his lab he had to pass through the last area under its control and deal with the most aggravating of Area Guardians.

The last area of the Grave Swamp was the most Swamp like, the Deep Swamp. It was clearly linked with the Lake on the floor below and as a result it's murky waters were filled with all manner of fanged fish, bog dwellers and toxic slugs. Though there were a few more normal denizens.

"Hehehe!" "Hahaha" "Hmm." "That's so cool~"

"I know." Another voice responded to the giggling.

Tucked away in a back corner of the Swamp was a surprisingly clear water spring, well clear for a swamp it was still algae filled and cloudy water.

"Ah well if it ain't the Master himself." The only male in the pool laughed.

"I'll filet you for that fish face." Stitchstix growled "You will address this one by its proper titles or I will replace you."

"Right, right." The fish like man stepped out of the water and put on a cartoonish bow as it spoke in a clearly sarcastic tone "Thank you for gracing us with your presence of great one I, Como Cryscor, welcome your genius to our Deep Swamp home."

"Grr." Stitchstix growled displeased.

"Hehehe." The four girls still sitting in the pool all giggled.

The one who has stepped out of the water was the Fishman Como Cryscor. His body was covered with light blue and black scales, his mouth filled with razorlike teeth that could rip apart a shark, and if the bite didn't kill it the infection from the bacteria infested fangs would. He was wearing feeble looking leather armor to cover his genitals and neck but other than that Como used the natural armor of his scales. Given his deep water fishman he was his long flipper like tail seemed to glow with a strange bioluminescence pattern. Strapped to his back were two crooked coral daggers clearly indicating that he was of some rouge class.

In the water with him were the sisters Dewy, Nanami, Moana, and Luci Neolani. Each of them wore a shell like top and beads on their lower half, they had human faced and midsections but their lower bodies were that of fish, they looked like Mermaids but in actuality were Sirens whose quartet could lure in any unwitting adventurer. From oldest to youngest they were Dewy, who had blue hair and a blue tail, Nanami, who had black hair and a black tail, Moana, who had purple hair and a purple tail, and Luci, who had red hair and a red tail.

"Come back in the water." Dewy pouted.

"It's so empty without you Como~" Nanami whined.

"Right, right don't fret ladies." The fish man smiled.

"Well I'm going to the lab, you stay out of trouble got it." Stitchstix said.

"We will." Moana said.

"Leave it to us." Luci giggled.

"This Area Guardian has it under control." Como laughed.

"Right." Stitchstix rolled his eyes as the four girls giggled, it hated dealing with this area given the annoying personalities of its guardians.

The other reason Stitch found this section annoying was because of how pompous Como was and he wasn't even the Guardian, the sisters were, he was just another puppet controlled by their song.

At last though Stitchstix arrived at its destination, the last bastion before the entrance to floor four, the Laboratory. Given the size of Nazarick the lab was more of a small hamlet castle, it was no towering spire but it had that mad scientist look to it, darkened windows, mossy stone walls, that weird water dripping sound that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Now what did I want to do today." Stitchstix closed the door behind her "Those idiots made me lose focus…how about I try that new poison on those test subjects, I wonder how much they'll scream, I hope it turns their tongues to mush like that last batch, that gurgling sound was so much fun! KEKEKE!"

Stitchstix got to brewing another of his potions and just as he finally got a batch he was about to test it.

"Stitchstix." Albedo spoke through a message "Please come to the throne room right away, we have a report about the Lizardmen."

"RAHH!" Stitchstix growled "I was about to-I'll be right there!"

The doll grumbled under it's voice as it opened a portal and tossed the poison over its shoulder, the bottle shattering loudly as a prisoner screamed as who knows what spilled onto their skin.

Floor three is a dark dreary place, but it has a strange hominess to it.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I decided that since someone else is in charge of Floor Three in this story it would be fun to take a little field trip and look at it as a whole, that and I get to flesh out more random side characters.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	9. Chapter 9: Disect

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

Cocytus lost, the face that his happened was both unexpected yet totally expected. Lord Ainz said he would lose after all but part of me actually expected the bug to beat the odds. As a result of this battle loss we were all summoned to the main throne room.

"Well on the bright side I finally got those Lizardman corpses." I mumbled joining the other guardians.

I looked over and saw that there was a bizarre little pinkish purple creature there as well.

 _That's…_

"Thank you all for coming so quickly." Lord Ainz tapped his staff on the ground, a loud clang ringing out "There's much to cover, Victim come forward."

The little purple brain like creature floated up but said nothing.

"Please take a moment to introduce yourself." Lord Ainz said.

The creature turned around in place to face us.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." It spoke it a soft yet sweet voice "I am Victim."

"Though you guard the eight floor that is not why I summoned you here." Lord Ainz explained "We've still been unable to identify Shalltear's assailant from the other day, therefore to protect Nazarick I may need to use a powerful skill invoked only by your death, but fear not I will resurrect you after. Sorry, I hope you will forgive me."

"Do not trouble yourself Lord Ainz, death is my purpose." Victim said "If it serves you than so be it."

 _That's dark…_

"There is a motto this guild lived by and I'm reminded of it now." Lord Ainz hummed "Man have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. I feel that it fits you perfectly Victim."

"Such words are more than I deserve!" Victim hummed.

"Next…Stitchstix, how goes your current experiments with the Black Dust?" he asked.

"I was able to confirm the brain shrinkage side effect, but other than that I have struggled to find a more useful purpose for it at this time." I told him "Its too slow acting to work as any sort of knock out gas or paralytic."

"Then we'll halt that as the main focus of your research for now." He said "If you wish to experiment more you'll have to do so on your own time."

"I understand." I bowed my head more.

"Demiurge." He turned to the man on the opposite side of the line.

They talked for a bit about a new material they had discovered for use in making scrolls, frankly that didn't interest me…biology was never my favorite field. He talked to Shalltear for a bit to since she was still all bent out of shape about what she did and promised to punish her at a later date.

"Lastly…Cocytus." Lord Ainz turned to look at the oversized beetle "You ended in defeat."

"…I am sorry for this offence, I have insulted Nazarick." Cocytus said.

"Cocytus look your master in the eye when you beg for forgiveness." Albedo said.

"Right." The beetle looked up.

"Why is it that you think you were beaten?" Lord Ainz asked.

"I cannot say enough how much I apologize for losing the army you gifted me." Cocytus said.

"Enough, I don't intend to punish you harshly for this defeat." The Master said.

 _So he was set up to fail…_

"Everyone makes mistakes no matter who you are." Lord Ainz explained "Even me, that being said I would like to know how you could have won?"

"…I should have been more cautious." Cocytus said as quietly as someone of his size could "I underestimated the resourcefulness of the Lizardmen."

"Precisely, never underestimate an opponent." Lord Ainz added "Is there anything else?"

"I believe I had insufficient information, the enemy's tendencies, the geography, I realize without considering these things my chance of victory would have been lowered regardless." Cocytus said "Uhh also a lack of commanders, since the soldiers I was given were low level undead I should have placed those with the ability to lead on the front line."

"Anything else?"

"That is all I can think of for the moment." Cocytus said.

"Excellent!" Lord Ainz said with a hint of pride "Except for the elder lich all the losses were inconsequential, their demise has no effect on Nazarick's power and considering what one of my Guardians has learned I would say we've gained."

"You're generosity knows no bounds." Cocytus said.

"Hold on." Lord Ainz said "The fact remains you lost, for that you must be punished…Cocytus you will personally mop up this error by exterminating the lizardmen, and you will do it alone, you are to rely on no one but yourself."

"Excellent idea my lord!" Albedo cheered "He can expunge his sins and the lizardmen in one swoop! You truly are a supreme being."

"Lord Ainz…" Cocytus spoke up "I must humbly make a request…please hear me out."

"You have brought disgrace to Nazarick and now you choose to make requests?" Albedo growled at him "You forget your place you worm."  
"You've gained my interest Cocytus, lift your head and make your request." Lord Ainz said, but Cocytus seemed nervous to move "Don't keep me waiting, I simply wish to know, speak and let it be known to all."

"…I am against exterminating the Lizardmen." Cocytus told him "I beg you, show them mercy."

"You have some nerve, do you realize you challenge the will of a Supreme One?!" Albedo yelled.

"Albedo do not get in the middle of this." Lord Ainz said "It intrigues me, you must have a reason for making this request. Something that will benefit the Great Tomb."

"Yes Lord, I believe that there is some chance valiant warriors will appear among the tribes of Lizardmen." Cocytus explained "It is my opinion that making them our subordinates will be of more benefit to Nazarick."

 _Interesting…you can do more with live subjects than dead ones…_

"I'm not holey convinced that Lizardmen undead would be significantly stronger than a basic undead." Lord Ainz explained.

"Lord-."

"But." Lord Ainz interrupted "It would be more cost effective to use undead than rule over them all, if you can think of any other benefits now is the time."

"Well…" Cocytus sighed.

"If you have nothing more than you won't mind exterminating them."

 _The bugs being pushed into a corner…I would say something but I can't think of anything we can do with live ones as opposed to dead ones…_

"I see…that's too bad."

"Lord." Demiurge spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Instead of Zombies what if we used the Lizardmen in an experiment?" Demiurge suggested "Not scientific but governmental. The time will likely come when we will be handling different races and locations simultaneously, would it not be prudent to give such a concept a trial run? A means other than fear to use when the time comes."

"A terrific suggestion Demiurge!" Lord Ainz clanged his staff on the ground again.

"Thank you very much." Demiurge bowed.

 _Is he covering for the bug…or propping himself up?_

"We will go with the proposal to shift from extermination to subjugation." Lord Ainz agreed "I am impressed Demiurge."

"I appreciate the praise but I'm sure you were already thinking the same and merely wishing to see if Cocytus could come to that conclusion on his own." The demon explained.

"Hmm." I hummed under my breath.

"You give me far too much credit." The master said "All I wanted was for Cocytus to explain his own thinking, no matter what it would have been. Listen well my Guardians, orders are not absolute things you must carry out, carefully consider them before you act and do what you think is best for Nazarick."

"We will!"

"Consequently, we will have to change Cocytus punishment." Ainz said "You will govern the Lizardmen and instill loyalty to Nazarick, rule thorough fear will be forbidden."

"As you wish." Cocytus nodded "I swear I will lice up to the mercy you have shown me."

"It's time to move out then." Lord Ainz said "One team as a decoy and another to flaunt our power, it's time for one hell of a show. Albedo make ready our soldiers…and wake Gargantua as well."

"As you wish Lord, I take it the decoy is to distract whoever had been peaking on us?" Albedo asked.

"Correct." Lord Ainz teleported away "It's time we get moving!"

"Demiurge, I owe you my thanks." Cocytus said standing up.

"Pay it no mind, I wager it is what Lord Ainz wanted all along." Demiurge said.

"All has played out exactly as Lord Ainz foresaw." Albedo smiled.

"Hmm." I rubbed my chin "I think he wanted the bug to ass for backup as opposed to charging in headlong just to follow an order. What's done is done though so there's no reason to dwell too long on it, we have a display to prepare, this will be fun!"

* * *

 **Later**

The display to the Lizardmen involved every Guardian save Cocytus, we made a grand display out of the whole thing, constructing a throne on the spot and more though I just had to stand there, for now though Cocytus would be left to take out the last of the Lizardmen resistance before moving in to finally stomp them under foot.

"Welcome back Master." Entoma bowed when I returned.

"Ha-or right I suppose your assignment is done." I reached out and held her chin with one hand "Everything looks to be in one piece, no problems I take it."

"No Master." She shook her head.

"Very good, now do me a favor and retrieve a Lizardman corpse would you." I poured one liquid into another before setting it back on a burner "I want to run some tests to see how their scales hold up to some acids."

"Right away." Entoma said with a voice indicating she was pleased to be back at her normal station.

She brought me back a body, thankfully it was in one piece and we got to work.

"The layering." I ran my long fingers down the dead creature's arm "It's similar to the normal plating on a scaled lizard but…They aren't all the same, I noticed the bodies that were retrieved for experimentation tended to have different looks, some with different colors and skull shapes. I also noticed there were some with smooth scales, are these the effects of their tribal lifestyle, or perhaps Lizardmen change as they age. Wait do they shed their skin like other reptiles?"

"Master is going on again." Entoma said happily.

"I can't help myself KEKEKE!" I cackled "My mind is racing!"

I reached over and grabbed a crude scalpel like knife.

"Let's begin with a dissection!" I sliced down the sternum "Make notes Entoma."

"Of course, Master." She attached a pen like bug to the tip of one arm "I'm ready."

"Good, I see a basic ribcage akin to that of a human." I peeled back the thick layer of muscle and hide "Muscle mass seems lightly above that of a human."

I reached in and spread the ribs with a sickening and satisfying crack, I reached in, bloodying my rag arms before ripping out a heart.

"Again muscle mass seems to be above that of a human." I looked at the organ "But the structure is actually quite similar being a chambered muscular structure."

I ripped out a few more organs, I was surprised to see how they didn't have a chambered stomach like I expected.

"HMPH!" I flipped it over and peeled the scales off the back "As expected the spine extends to the tip of the tail as it would with almost any tailed creature."

I looked at the nicks in my knife "Make a note on the scales, it would seem they have a natural toughness that can chip weaker blades, I wager this isn't much stronger than the natural armor spell, also note that they underbellies seem softer and less protected. It would seem the scales aren't just for show and do provide some protective benefit when it comes to more simple weapons, at least more benefit than human flesh does."

"Yes Master." Entoma said "My Master you really hacked them up, you haven't been this excited in forever!"

"It not everyday you get to pick apart something like this." I laughed "Now we're not done, go see if you can find me one of those smooth scaled ones, I want to see if those differences are merely evolutionary superficialities or internally there are differences as well, it's possible one of these tribes may be vastly inferior and that intrigue's me."

"I'll return in a jiffy." Entoma ran off.

"I should probably pick out what I want to preserve now and then I'll give leftovers to Entoma." I hummed "After all knowing the difference in taste will be important too."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	10. Chapter 10: Examination

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Hmm." I hummed a bit to myself opening up a cabinet and looking through it for something "Where did I put that?"

The Lizardmen had been conquered so for now that fight was over and I was back to working on other experiments.

"Whoa it actually smells nice in here for once!" Aura let herself in.

I briefly turned away from my search to see who entered and then went back to looking.

"You should knock before entering, this isn't a place for unsupervised little girls." I said.

"I'm not a little girl." She huffed "I just look like one, stupid old man."

"Hmm." I glared at her a bit.

She seemed to snicker a bit at pushing my buttons.

"What are you looking for Aura?" I asked climbing down off a black cloud seat and walking over to a pot that was over a flame and throwing some dust in.

"What'cha making?" she looked over "Poison, oh wait I bet its dark materials for your hexes!"

"It's marinade." I blinked.

"Huh?" she tilted her head.

"I'm curious about something." I explained stirring the pot "Entoma said she found the lizardmen meat to be tough and rigid, likely from the increased muscle use, I'm trying to see if perhaps soaking them like this will tenderize the meat in a natural way and make it more satisfying for her, though descaling them is still a pain."

"Sorcerer, Spy, Doctor, and now chef." Aura laughed "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Be left alone apparently." I sighed.

"Oh, you like it and you know it." She teased.

"Do you need something or not?" I asked her.

"My stomachs kinda been killing me lately." She hummed "Not sure what's up?"

"Sit down." I rolled my eyes.

"Can't you just like, heal it up?" she asked "I'm sure it's nothing."

"If you just wanted basic healing magic you'd have gone to bother Mare about it." I hummed opening a cabinet "So since your coming to me it's one of a few things, you don't want Mare to know cause it's embarrassing, it's serious and you don't want to worry him or…you don't think basic healing magic will work."

"Damn you're good." She mumbled.

"Take your shirt off." I said.

"What are you planning." She blushed.

"To look at you of course, medically speaking." I sighed "As someone who hasn't made much of a big deal about your choice of boyish clothing I would have thought I was the one you'd trust most with this."

"Okay." She unbuttoned her vest and lifted her shirt up while laying back on an examining table "Look there."

I stood over and looked at her dark tanned skin, the smoothness of her skin was lightly complimented by a slight tone of abdominal muscle, it was no six pack but it was surprising on her, still it looked…faded in a way.

"Is it more of an ache or a sharp stabbing feeling?" I asked.

"Mostly an ache." She nodded "But it comes and goes, it'll last for a few hours and then go away."

"Hmm." I reached out and pressed on her side.

"Hehe, that tickles." She giggled.

 _She's not in pain…_

I slid over and she winced a bit.

"I wonder…Aura have you changed anything recently, no injuries, right?" I asked.

"I tripped playing around in the forest the other day." She said "Skinned my knee."

"Hmm." I rolled her pant leg up "No infection…what could be possibly be? Get dressed."

She put her vest back on and took a seat on the examining table.

"Take me through you're last few days." I said.

"Well I was supervising the building of that forward fort." She said "I'd wake up, go for a quick run with some of my pets then make sure all the materialize were in order, and then after work I'd for a while."

 _Hmm…nothing out of the ordinary._

 ***BEEP BEEP! ***

"Huh?" I looked at her wrist and a strange metal ring was buzzing.

"It's time for Lunch Big Bro!" It said.

"Oh right, of course it is Lady Bukubukuchagama." Aura smiled happily.

"That thing, Lord Ainz gave you it right, it reminds you of certain things at certain times?" I asked "Like an alarm?"

"Yeah, I have an alarm set for lunch, I should go eat right now I don't want my burger to get cold." She smiled "I think we've finally got the right recipe today!"

"Today?" I asked.

"Pestonya has been trying to find a way to make it just the way I like it for like three weeks now." She laughed.

"Three weeks…" I groaned "Have you been eating the same thing for lunch almost every day for three weeks?"

"I guess I have." She scratched her head.

"Stupid girl!" I whacked her head like a chop.

"Oww what was that for!" she whined.

"The reason your stomach hurts is because you've been eating too much crap!" I groaned poking her stomach "It would also explain why you're looking a bit…pudgy."

"Are you calling me fat?!" she gasped with a blush "Though…my vest has been feeling tight latterly."

I let out another pained sigh "Aura, like it or not you are an elf, elves tend to age slower than other humanoid races, so while you are old be most standards you're not for an elf, you're still growing so you need to watch what you eat if you want to grow up to be as strong as possible."

"Oh…okay." She sighed "I'll eat a little healthier I guess."

"Good."

"But you know I wouldn't still be growing if you had made that age elixir like I asked." She huffed.

"I told you the experiments didn't work." I scratched my chin "Well it did…but their skin turned blue and their eyes fell out, not good side effects."

"Never mind I'm good!" she yelped.

"Fine." I chuckled "Get going or your precise schedule will get thrown off for the rest of the day."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this little fun side chapter with Aura**

 **Till Next Time!**


	11. Chapter 11: Get Physical

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"What's the matter Master?" Entoma asked.

"I'm watching our little princess." I looked through a screen "She's having a meeting with her little friends in the Blue Rose Adventuring Team about taking on Eight Fingers, the group that controls her countries underbelly. But she's not my interest right now, this Lakyus is."

"Why's that?"

"Inquisitive today I see." I smiled looking back "Well this world has a group of legendary heroes of myth and she has inherited the sword that once belonged to one of them, supposedly it's a sword of darkness, one that eats away at the owner's heart and mind."

"So, you want to use it to make her crazy like the princess?" Entoma asked "Then use your Shadow Holeand go plant a Mind Worm in her."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible." I said "I have no way of knowing where she would be, using Shadow Hole allows me to connect to the shadows of the world, but I don't know who will be on the other side, only the general type of location the shadow can go to, house, tent, palace, cave, etc. When we planted in the princes I merely happened to come out in her room, I was just seeking the palace in general. So, since Lakyus stays in a variety of places I would have no way to pin down where she would be in order to plant the worm."

"Oh." She hummed.

"Don't worry about it." I waved her off before placing my thumb in the side of my mouth "But her sword…there must be a way-AH!"

I jumped down off my bed "I'll get the princess to do it for me!"

I grabbed some things and threw a dust into the air **"Dream Vision!"**

I projected my consciousness into the Mind Worm embedded in the Princess, posing as her guardian angel, a voice she could trust inside herself I began whispering too her.

"Princess Renner, why are you trusting that Lakyus?" I spoke "Didn't you see the way she looked at you're sweet Climb?"

"…that's right." She humbled.

"We can't allow him to be stolen away by that upper class slut!" I whispered into her mind.

"I'll kill her…like all the rest." She thought.

"No that's not the way, she must suffer for this injustice against you." I said "Do you want that, just say so and I'll give you the power to make her miserable, she'll come crawling to you begging for forgiveness like a beaten dog!"

"I want her to weep at my feet." She smiled darkly.

"Then take this." I commanded one of the moths to place something on her desk as she translated a codex of some kind "Slip it into her tea when she asks you for more sugar, I'll take care of it after that."

"I don't know what you are." The princess picked up the small egg "But you're quite fun."

"I could say the same to you! KEKEKE!" I hung up "Well Entoma, now we play the waiting game."

"Will the wait take long we have an appointment in the Lizardman village." She explained.

"Oh that's right." I hopped up "But by wait I mean a few weeks at the least, that little friend has to grow properly after all."

* * *

 **Later**

"They're staring an awful lot." Entoma said as we stepped through the village.

"As expected." I smiled "Cocytus did rout their leaders."

I got up to the main tent "I'm coming in."

I threw the curtain open and looked inside to see two lizardmen, one male and one female. The woman had smooth white scales, Crusch Lulu, the male had browner colored rigid scales, Zaryusu Shasha.

 _Lizardmen have such ridiculous names._

"I am Stitchstix Willowind." I introduced myself "Lord Ainz has sent me here to conduct a physical and determine your current state."

"Is such a thing really necessary?" the man asked.

"Lord Ainz took the time to revive you." I glared "Best not to bite the hand that feeds you, we need to know if there are any defects from your revival."

"Step aside please." Entoma moved Crusch out of the way.

I walked around the Lizardman, his tail seemed to twitch a bit. I reached out and held his eyelid up before letting go.

"Follow this finger." I moved it and watched his eye follow "Now this one…good vision seems to be in order."

I turned his hands "No dead flesh or necrosis…open your mouth and say Ah."

"AHH…" he opened wide.

I looked around before lifting his tongue and holding his head.

"How's the jaw been feeling, Lord Ainz mentioned some slurring post resurrection." I asked.

"A little stiff but that's all." He said shifting it as I let go.

"The slurring seems to have stopped." The female said.

"As expected, simple side effect of being dead for the time you were before revival." I noted "Rigor mortis sets in and the joints lock up for a few days, it's a side effect only those who are incredibly strong tend to avoid."

"Have you noticed anything else out of the ordinary?" Entoma asked some usual follow up questions.

"He's seemed a bit…off since the resurrection." Crusch said.

"How so?"

"Just out of it a bit." She said.

I looked at the male but he made no indication "Well resurrection results in the loss of levels and strenght so that may contribute to a general feeling of malaise. Entoma, why don't you take a walk with Miss Lulu, perhaps you can check if their medical supplies are in order for me."

"Yes Master, come this way." Entoma led her out the door.

I paused for a moment "Well now that we're alone let's get to the point, you discomfort is mental is it not, you're having trouble reconnecting to the living."

"How'd you-." Zaryusu gasped a bit.

"It's not unheard of among those resurrected." I said "They find their emotions stunted for a time and have difficulty reintegrating with loved ones. You've tried hiding it as to not trouble your beloved there but it seems she sees through your ruse."

"Yes." He frowned "Since I came back I've struggled to feel comfortable, at first I thought it was merely part of this new way of life but now I not so sure."

"Yes, fortunately psychology and the mind happen to be a specialty of mine." I smiled "I would recommend you speak to those around you about what's troubling you, lend a hand in the village where you can, accept the gratitude of those around you and in time you'll find your place. Stresses like these are a natural part of life but you must not let them overwhelm you what is happening to you is completely normal, getting better doesn't mean forgetting what happened to you, but accepting that it has happened and moving on."

"I understand." He nodded "Thank you…I was surprised I figured you would have just thrown me to the wolves and mentioned it to Crusch."

"My master created me not only to be a spell caster but a doctor." I said "As such she specified that I give my patients the fair right to privacy they deserve, it's the least I can do as Nazarick's Third Floor Guardian and Chief Medical Officer."

 _I recall in my dream Mistress once mentioned wanting to become a doctor at one time and take something called a Hippocratic Oath, I don't know what that is, but I know she said I violate it daily…I wonder why she would make me in such a way? Mistress was quite strange I suppose._

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	12. Chapter 12: Vs Blue Rose Trio

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"What is it?" I held a finger to my head as Albedo messaged me "Why do I have to go help-fine!"

I grabbed a satchel "Come on Entoma we've been summoned!"

"Coming Master!"

" **Gate!"**

I took the two of us to the capital where we met up with Demiurge, Shalltear, Aura and Mare as well as the rest of the Pleiades. Apparently Sebas new friend that I heard about got kidnapped by the group Eight Fingers so we were going to be eliminating them now.

"I did not expect this level of support." Sebas said.

"Yes, command of this operation will fall to me." Demiurge said "If there are any objections' voice them now. We are here to cull Eight Fingers for having spit in the collective face of the Supreme Ones and must be dealt with thusly."

"I understand, rescuing Tuare is a secondary objective compared to avenging Ainz Ooal Gown." Sebas said.

"I want to say I too hope for the girl's safety." Demiurge commented "I fear her body would be unlikely to withstand the strains of resurrection."

"We could use it for other things then. Kekeke." I laughed until Sebas shot me a look "I was kidding. My bugs have gathered information on seven bases and given that data to Demiurge."

"Everyone will have their assignments as pertinent to them, some parts of the plan require compartmentalization." He said.

"Right." Sebas stepped out "I'll be going."

"Solution you'll be backing up Sebas for now." Demiurge told her.

"Very Well."

"Demiurge I want this one." I pointed at one of the bases "It's the home of the Black Dust manufacturing head, I believe there might be something relevant to me research there."

"That's fine, Entoma and Mare will accompany you." He said.

"Fine." I stretched "and that one we discussed, I want him alive."

"Entoma." He looked at the girl and she displayed an image.

"Killing this one is strictly forbidden, is that clear Shalltear." He asked.

"Haha, poking fun at the vampire." She mumbled.

"This is a grand opportunity, no mistakes understood." Demiurge said "Now to speak about phase two…make sure to pay attention yes?"

I listened to his round about way of getting more materialize as well as propping up Lord Ainz, I didn't care either way honestly but the idea interested me, if there were a fight in the city the stronger adventuring teams would show…

"Kekeke." I bit my finger "Maybe I'll see her again…"

"Master are you ready to go?" Entoma asked.

"Right." I looked over "Let's go Mare."

"Coming." The boy followed.

I created a gate to move us to near our location and once there began out assault.

"Okay, **Sleeping Fog!"**

I held my arms out and a wave of mist wafted over the area and numbed the thoughts of all inside the mansion.

"I'll leave it to you Mare." I looked at the boy.

"Right… **Overgrowth!"**

He held his staff up and the trees and vines near the forest reached out and began to strangle the home, we used it as cover to quickly move inside.

"HMPHM!" A servant gasped when I appeared behind him and broke his neck.

"Entoma clean up the mess." I said.

"Yes Master." She wiped her face "RAH NOM!"

I slipped upstairs and found the sleeping mistress of the house.

" **Wake!"** I held up a finger and allowed her to stir from her sleep before fading into the shadows again.

"She's coming." I stepped out next to Mare and Entoma.

I heard the floor creak as someone walked on the floor above, slowly a woman descended the staircase, she was what most would consider beautiful, long blonde hair, above average curves and a mature face.

"She's the one, Hilma." I said "Go ahead Mare."

The boy stepped out and stood in the main foyer as the woman came downstairs.

"A little girl…" the woman finally saw him "Or boy? What are you doing here are this time of night?"

"I'm looking for the most important person here, is that you lady?" he asked.

"I…actually yes." The woman said "But how did you get in?"

"We opened the door." I whispered from behind her "See."

"AH!" she gasped seeing me touching her face.

"No screaming, as much fun as that might be no one would hear you." I smiled looking at Entoma who has a severed hand in her claws "You'll be going with my friend here understand?"

"Why you-AH!"

"I said no buts!"

Mare swung hard and snapped her leg while one of my spiders crawled out of me stitching and bit her.

"Oh dear with a bite like that you'll die in a few hours." I smiled "Unless you play nicely and go along, I think Mare has the antidote somewhere. Mare I'll leave it to you, I have some digging to do."

"Right." He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her off with surprising strenght "We have to hurry or we'll be late for the meeting."

"Entoma I'll leave mopping up the mess to you, I'll be in that hag's room digging around for notes." I said going upstairs "Take anything that isn't nailed down and have the carrier locusts move it to Nazarick."

"Of course, Master." She bowed.

I headed upstairs and started digging around that annoying woman's room, unfortunately she was smarter than she looked having hidden almost any evidence against her off site somewhere. I ended up finding a secret passage to a crawlspace under the house where she had volumes worth of notes on distribution and effects of Black Dust.

"So she did know, keeping her clients brains small makes them more likely to be convinced by her." I said hearing lots of noise from above "What the hell is that girl doing?"

I headed back upstairs and looked out a window to see Entoma fighting in the courtyard with a ninja, a warrior and Evileye. The first two had damage but the last looked mostly unschated.

" **Vermin Bane!"**

Evileye used some kind of spell that sprayed out an insecticide fog, one that nearly killed Entoma in one shot, her mask was off and so was her voice, she was in her true spider like form.

"REEEEEEEE!"

 _ **Consider her like-**_

 _Entoma…they did this to you?_

* * *

 **NO POV**

 **Shortly before…**

"I don't know why you're dressed like that." Evileye said "No one would something like you to attend to them."

"No one would want me?" Entoma hissed, her voice bug breaking from the last attack and leaving her with a viler more brutish tone "How dare you, you won't leave here alive!"

She reared back and threw her centipede like bug which had captured the warrior Gagaran towards Evileye.

" **Reverse Gravity!"**

The mage easily blocked the attack and freed her friend.

"You two are in the way, just heal Tia's wounds." Evileye instructed.

"My Master loves me!" Entoma roared **"Swarm!"**

A hail of stinging insects appeared but flew towards Evileye.

" **Vermin Bane!"**

The smoke sprayed out again and wiped the attack out, once more proving Evileye was a perfect counter to Entoma's abilities.

"RAAH!" The maid stumbled back when the smoke hit her "It burns! Make it stop! MASTER!"

"Her face…it's melting." Tia, the ninja, noticed.

Entoma's face fell off and was revealed to them to be nothing more than a simple bug, as was her voice, now fully shifting into an evil growl as the Lip Bug she used as a disguise curled up and withered as well.

"How dare you soil my creator's vision!" Entoma screamed "DAMN YOU HUMANS!"

Entoma's vile insect like spider face was revealed to them as large legs spread out of her back.

She jumped up again and sprayed out another swarm, but like before Evileye simply casted Vermin Bane to kill it.

"That cursed spell, I'll kill you first!" the bug maid skittered in.

" **Paralyzing Technique!"** Tia used a skill to lock Entoma in place.

"RAAH!" Gagaran then slammed the bug with her hammer but Entoma spit out a silk like substance to block.

" **Vermin Bane!"** Evileye attacked again but Entoma charged through only to get kicked back by Gagaran.

"Her outfit sounded as hard as my armor." The warrior said "How's that possible?"

" **VERMIN BANE!"**

The three moved quickly to beat down Entoma while she was exposed, leaving her twitching and wheezing on the floor.

"She sounds like she's…crying?" Tia was confused.

"…master…Fa…"

"Let's just kill her." Evileye said.

"REEEEEE!" a banshee like scream rang out loudly over the courtyard.

"What was that?" the mage looked around.

"Gurk…guh…" Entoma was still leaking a strange bug fluid as the shadow around her warped and Stitchstix pulled itself out "…Master…I'm…"

"Quite now." The doll bent down and rubbed her face.

"It's that thing." Evileye gasped.

"Take another step and you'll regret it." Stitchstix glared "You did this to her, you reduced my sweet dear Entoma to this state?!"

"It's pissed." Tia said.

"Pissed?" It glared "That barely begins to describe what I'm feeling, who would be pissed in a situation like this?"

 _ **Consider her like-**_

"HOW COULD I JUST BE PISSED WHEN YOU DID THIS TO MY DAUGHTER?!"

"Ha…ha…" Evileye was panting, but not to recover her breath after battle, she could feel the anger in the air, pissing this monster off was the last thing they should have done.

"I'm sending you back Entoma." Stitchstix called in a large bug to transport her.

"Father…" she wheezed "I can still-."

"No." it told her "I will take care of this, if anything more were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself."

"Leave…" Entoma warned her friends "That's not something we can handle, it's no ordinary living doll, it's something else, something worse, I'll buy you time and then teleport out myself."

"Are you done planning, times up." Stitchstix stood up "If you have a god now would be the time to start praying to it! This won't be like the last time!"

"Go now!" Evileye warned.

The other two quickly turned to leave.

"You're not getting away that easily!" he held up both hands **"Dimensions Lock!"**

 **Maximize Magic: Shard Buckshot!"** Evileye fired at him.

" **Liquid Ooze!"** Stitchstix opened its mouth and spit out a slime that blocked the attack. **"Acid Tailwind!"**

A noxious green wind flew out of the monster's hands and instantly suffocated both women, melting parts of their armor.

"That was all the strenght they had?" Stitchstix asked "Since they were with you I figured they'd be stronger I guess I was wrong about them…or maybe I was wrong about you? Either way they got what they deserved for hurting my sweet Entoma."

It dashed in and reached for her mask "Show it to me before you die, let me see what's behind that mask!"

"Never!" Evileye floated back **"Crystal Lance!"**

"You saw under Entoma's mask it's only fair if I see under yours." Stitch yelled as the projectile ripped through its arm "RAAAH **Bloodsucker Fly!"**

The whole in his body oozed stuffing before multiple oversized and bloated fly like mosquitos buzzed out.

" **Vermin Bane!"** Evileye sprayed out her magic fog to kill the bugs, but no before Stitchstix got behind her and grabbed the back of her head "AHHH!"

" **High Level Hex: Mind Lock!"**

He traced a seal on the back of her head and jumped back **"Summon Creature: Desert Crawler!"**

A scorpion with a body more like a millipede crawled out from a summon circle and towards Evileye.

"That still won't work **Vermin Ba-!"** she went to cast the spell but found that when she went to finish it was just…gone.

The bug snapped a claw around her as Stitchstix once more appeared on the other side by the door to the mansion.

" _How does he move like that?"_ She thought _"He can't teleport in a Dimension Lock either so how, he is really just that fast."_

"You used that spell to hurt my daughter, I've never seen it before so I'm guessing you made it yourself, the Mind Lock spell quarters off a section of your memories, the reason you can't cast is because I made you forget how."

"That's what you are!" Evileye gasped **"Crystal Lance!"**

A glowing blue sword fell out of the sky and killed the bug by impaling it's head, that was enough to free the magical girl.

"Kekeke, so you figured it out have you?" Stitchstix smiled "I told you before I am no simple living voodoo doll, anyone loses the second I touch them, but I didn't use that power on you, we fought for real."

"Are you done with all this?" A demon appeared standing on the roof.

"Hmm." The tattered doll picked up its arm "Yes, you're not ready yet Evileye."

Stitchstix began to sink into the shadows.

"Don't run away!" she yelled.

"Next time be stronger, you might get to see my real form then." The shadow closed "I've enjoyed these duels."

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Sow it up." I growled holding the spot where my arm should be.

"Relax." Solution said "we're still a little busy."

"I don't have time for games bitch!" I growled "I can't use me heal magic with one arm and Mare isn't here, now fix my arm so I can fix Entoma dammit! Hurry it up or I'll dump a potion that'll boil that slime body of yours away over a week!"

"Alright I'm coming." She grabbed a needle "Still, if this girl blew one of your arms off…she must have been something else."

"Last time she only manage to rip it, this time she made a full cut." I bit my other hand "She is getting stronger…"

Solution finished threading my arm and started cleaning up.

"You call this a stitch job?" I growled "I'll get Entoma to fix it later."

I opened my bag and grabbed another mask bug.

"I don't have a lip bug on my so you'll have to make do for a while without it my dear." I said starting to heal her.

"Yes…" she said softly "I'm sorry Father."

I noticed Solution perk up a bit at the mention of that, it didn't surprise me, Entoma will rarely call me that, even if it's a male term, I'll allow it for her."

"What for?" I asked checking her over as she fixed her mask.

"You asked me to clean up this mess and I only made more of it for you to clean up, I failed." She said quietly, as if trying to hide her voice."

"It's fine." I smiled patting her head "But I'm surprised you took so long to try and kill them, even with Evileye's spell I would think you could have killed the other two."

"I just…it's nothing to worry yourself about Master." She nodded "I won't let it happen again."

"Good girl." I leaned on her forehead "I hope it doesn't happen again, if I saw you in that state again…"

I shook it from my mind "I love you, my dear Entoma."

"Hmm." She hugged me "I love you Father."

"Bleh, you two are so gross." Solution made fake gagging noises.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **So real quick, Stitch and Entoma aren't "Actually" father and daughter, but when she created Entoma SomberEvening wrote in the backstory that Entoma was created by Stitchstix, hence the two being "Family" in the same way Frankenstein's Monster was the "Son" of Dr. Frankenstein.**

 **Also as I said before Stitchstix is genderless, googling got me no real hard results on what to call a genderless parent other than "Whatever they want to call/be called" so I just settled with Father since I thought it sounded cooler.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	13. Chapter 13: Willowind

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Looks like they're starting." I said sitting on a roof and watching an army start marching in.

"So, they have." Shalltear hummed.

After I retreated from my fight with Evileye, Demiurge set up an illusory Ring of Fire to quarter off a section of the city. With this we would be able to complete the final stages of his plan, it was needlessly complicated even for my tastes but it would allow me to conduct a needed experiment so I wasn't going to complain.

"By the way what's with the outfit?" I asked seeing her in the white dress coat.

"It's to keep my identity a secret, perhaps you should think of doing the same." She placed a theater mask over her face.

"Why it's not like I go strolling into town looking like this, I can't pass for human without my Glamor spell." I said stepping off the roof and onto a floating black cloud "Remember, no harm is to come to that one."

"Yes, I know I'll make sure not to get in the way of your experiment." She said jumping the other direction "Or are you referring to that masked girl you've seemed so taken with as of late?"

"How'd you…never mind, my interest in Evileye is only scientific, I must confirm my suspicion, I must see behind her mask." I said.

Shalltear looked me over from the distance "What's so special about her?"

"If I'm correct, I think you might find her interesting as well." I laughed "KEKEKE! I don't need your help, so stay away from my place."

"I'll say the same to you then." She slipped away.

* * *

 **NO POV**

"Unexpected, she's not with you." Stitchstix said floating down on his shadowy cloud "And didn't I kill two of you the other night? It would seem more people know resurrection magic than I anticipated. Your skin came back better than I would have expected."

The doll creature stood on the cloud looked over the four members of Blue Rose presented too it, it was familiar with Gagaran, Tia and Tina, but this was its first-time meeting Lakyus in person.

"You're the monster Evileye warned me about." Lakyus said.

"Yes…and you're the one I've so looked forward to meeting." The doll smiled "If she works under you, you must be more gifted than she, but how much is your own will and how much is just the power of that sword? KEKEKE Why don't we find out!"

Stitchstix clapped its hands together the air seeming to still around the girls as the cloud it was standing on exploded into a hazy black fog that thickened the battlefield, lowering visibility to nearly nil.

"Stay vigilant!" Lakyus warned "Don't let your guard down!"

"KEKEKE!"

Laughter cackled through the fog as Lakyus swung in the direction of the sound.

"AHHH-GURK!" there was a loud scream but it was suddenly cut off by a groan and a loud snap.

Lakyus held her sword up in a defensive stance anticipating that something may come from the mist around her at any moment.

"KEKEKE!"

Lakyus quickly turned as swung again.

"AAAHH!"

Another scream, this time followed by a loud squishing noise.

"KEKEKE!"

Again, another laugh, another swing of her dark blade, and another scream.

"GAAA!"

Lakyus was attempting to hold her resolve, but the light shivering of her body made her armor rattle a bit.

"It's useless hiding." A voice whispered as she felt a long finger drag down her cheek "I'm already right here."

"AAH!" she gasped turning and seeing the horrific face of Stitchstix leaning over her shoulder, one hand reaching around to hold her chin "I was prepared why can't I..."

"Move right, you're paralyzed with fear." It said in a dark tone "Don't feel bad, you lost the second I arrived before you, but you won't die, not yet KEKEKE!"

The fog slowly started to clear and Lakyus saw what she feared, the screams had been final death yells of her allies, Tia's neck snapped, her sister's lower body totally wiped out and Gagaran's head crushed under her own hammer.

"NOOO!" she let out a pained screamed as she suddenly blacked out.

* * *

 **Later**

Lakyus groaned as she awoke, her body still feeling numb. She saw herself strapped to a long operating table, her armor removed to lay her bare.

"HNGH!" she groaned trying to pull herself free "Dammit-HA!"

Suddenly her memories of her friends returned to her, she struggled as her stomach churned from the mere memories, the idea that this happened made her want to vomit, she could taste it in her throat but for now she had to get out of this situation.

"Struggling is useless." Stitchstix jumped down off a higher staircase "Those bindings won't break."

"You monster, what are you doing?!" she screamed.

"I want to know more about you, so I can't let you die just yet." It unzipped a zipper stuck to its hand and a scalpel slid out "So let's get started, I wonder if that sword of yours had any interesting effects on your insides."

Lakyus looked around in a panic, her sword was on the other side of the room, just lying there.

"Don't worry I know a lot of fun healing magic." The doll twirled its blade "So you don't need to be afraid of ending up like those friends of yours."

"Don't you talk about them-AAHH!" she screamed as the blade was dragged across her skin, blood pooling out of her cleavage "AAAAH STOP!"

Lakyus mind raced, screaming with pain and terror as she watched her own skin open up, the scarecrow like creature gleefully giggling as it bloodied its hands inside of her.

"Ohh look at that!" it separated a few ribs and reached in.

Lakyus let out a screech of sheer pain so loud and fearful it barely registered as a sound that a human could even make.

"See!" Stitchstix reached in and held a pulsing heart in her hands "This is yours! KEKEKE!"

The same ringing laughter rang through her head as she saw her own heart beating before her eyes, the red of the bloody muscle clashing with what looked like black roots with a stance glowing blue liquid in them that seemed the grasp the organ.

" _What the hell is that?!"_ She thought as her mind raced more and more.

"I'd wager a side effect of the sword of darkness." The monster smiled casually tossing out more of her organs "After all I heard it's got a corrupting influence, must be what made you such a monster back there…don't you remember?"

The monster showed her a screen, on it was a replay of the fight, the fog, each time one of her allies would step out to reunite with her and she simply turned and cut them down with her sword, slamming the hilt into the neck, cleaving the blade along the waist, and blocking with such force it caused a crushing pushback.

"N-No…I…" she started breathing faster "W-What have I done?!"

She began to cry, but as she wept she felt something call to her.

"Lakyus…Lakyus…" it said in a soft tone, so quiet she barely heard it.

She turned her head and saw the sound was coming from her sword, she looked at it and the blade started to glow.

"That's right this is-!" she gasped.

* * *

 **Suddenly…**

"GAH!"

Lakyus body moved suddenly and stabbed forward, impaling Stitchstix on the tip.

"How did you…damn that cursed sword!" it screamed as an energy blast knocked it back across the road, it's body falling limp and the thick fog vanishing.

"Lakyus!" Tia called out as the girl fell to her knee "Are you alright?"

Soon the other two members of her team present ran over to her.

"I'm fine, thank goodness you all are as well." She said "Your tricks won't work on me monster!"

"Still we followed Evileye's advice and used mental boosting magic to avoid his illusion." Tina said "How was Lakyus sucked into a nightmare?"

"I planted a bug in her." A voice said from the shadows "one that hatched and burrowed deep into her brain, no magic would be able to be withstood like that, still, my clap was a weak cast of the **Mind Box** spell, you were prepared."

" _A bug? But when would it have been able to plant it?"_ Lakyus thought as she and her friends prepared for the next stage of the fight.

"Since you were able to escape an endless torture nightmare in my **Mind Box** I'll commend you humans." The voice said "But now you've managed to cut my body, are you prepared to regret that?!"

"Get ready." Lakyus warned "The real fight starts now!"

The shadows of the girls, the buildings and the flames were all sucked towards the limp sack body on the ground, sliding into the hole Lakyus had cut.

"GRRR!" a giant oversized hand reached out of the darkness collecting in the heart of the doll and dug into the ground, it was nothing more than a deep inky blackness with a glowing lavender purple outline, the fingers were long but sharp like knives and the body seemed to ripple and defy proper dimensional definition. Another similar hand rose out and dug into the ground as well, both seemed to pull their large hands like they were dragging something from the darkness inside the body. The hands were massively wide, a human could be held like a child's doll if they got a grabbed.

Finally, the arms tugged and a large nearly six and a half-meter-tall body rose out, the body looked like a flat shadow but was almost all chest, the body seeming to shrink as it got closer to the doll on the ground, no legs were visible, the lower held just kind of melted away into a snake tail that was still connected to the inside of the doll. The head of the monster was shaped like a teardrop, the top wisping with shadows that faded as they drifted farther away. The 'face' of the creature had no mouth, the only feature were two long, scratch like slanted purple eyes.

"What the hell is that?" Gagaran said.

"It's what Evileye warned us about." Lakyus said "That monster isn't a living doll-."

The leader glared at the monster and pointed her blade.

"-It's a Nightmare Shade!"

"Good job you figured that out." The monster's voice seemed to boom and reverb in a bizarre manner, making it difficult to fully understand "And the fact that your minds weren't instantly shattered by perceiving my true form is something else to be impressed about."

Lakyus looked back and saw that the weaker soldiers who had been assisting them had gazed upon the beast's form and were now cowering on the ground, sobbing with fear-stricken faces as the **Nightmare Aura** coming off the monster locked them into their deepest fear.

"Blue Rose, the one standing before you is the Nightmare Shade Willowind!" it roared "I will crush you and devour your dreams!"

Willowind roared at them and took a swipe, claws dragging across the ground.

" **Shadow Raze!"** the monster's echoing voice roared as it swept it's arms up and a geyser of shadow broke the ground "RAAAA!"

Lakyus jumped away from the burst as the beast grabbed Gagaran and threw her into the building like she was no more than a stone in the path.

"This thing's strong." Tia said "What do we do."

"It's gotta have a weakness." Her sister said "Look at the lower half, and the way it's attacking."

"It can't get far from it's other body." Lakyus nodded.

The monster casted a flurry of poison flame fireballs at them, the ground getting melted by acid fire.

"If it's this strong there has to be a reason it would use that husk body." Lakyus thought as Gagaran jumped back out of the house she was thrown into and slammed Willowind in the head with her hammer "It's not intangible so it's not using it to touch things so why."

"Hmm…" Tia looked over at the half rubble house Gagaran had just been inside and saw a knocked over oil lamp "I've got an idea, cover me!"

She dashed through the monsters wailing arms and slid to a stop, grabbing the lantern. remembering back to the first time she and Evileye encountered the monster at the grow farm.

"Hey ugly!" she yelled drawing its attention "Eat this!"

She hurled the lantern into the monster, the glass shattering and the oil spilling out and igniting, a blast of flame knocking it over.

"REEAEAAAHH!" the shade roared and screened as it shrunk away from the flames.

"Of course, it's a shade!" Laykus yelled.

"So, what, it's weak to fire?" Gagaran yelled.

"No!" her captain held up her magic sword and moonlight started collecting in it.

"That blasted sword!" the monster reached at her, trying to eliminate her quickly before she could strike.

"IT'S AFRAID OF THE LIGHT!" she slashed away, a crescent of moonlight cutting through the center of the monster.

Lakyus' Kilineiram is a sword of darkness, but it has capabilities to harness the light of the moon to use for a light-based attack, that is the reason it's also know as The Moonlight Greatsword.

"RAAAAAAA!" Willowind let out a pained cry and fell back, shrinking away more in the light of her sword "GET AWAY!"

Willowind thrashed about, knocking down a building.

"You won't escape!" Lakyus jumped high and did a downward thrust, but when she looked down, only a crack in the ground remained.

"There's no was he could have escaped." She thought "Where did it go?"

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

"What happened to not needing my help." Shalltear said jumping from roof to roof with Stitchstix slung over her shoulder.

"…" the doll was silent.

"They pushed you to the brink, that little experiment of yours nearly got you killed!" she scolded it as they withdrew from the fight "This is what you get for underestimating someone with a weapon like that."

The doll looked at the hand holding it and saw Shalltear's chipped nail "You're one to talk."

"What was that?!" she snapped "I could have left you there you know, you're an ungrateful doll you know that!"

"…" Stitchstix was quite for a second "I suppose I was careless, I let my curiosity get the better of me, now not only am I wounded, but the bug inside Lakyus was exposed and they know my weakness to the light.".

"Let's just retreat to the outer fort Aura built, we'll stitch up that hole in your chest." She sighed.

"Yes…and Shalltear."

"Hmm?" she looked back.

"Thank you for saving me."

"…Don't mention it." She smirked "I know you would have done the same for me."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **We're all caught up with the anime now in case you want to keep track of that, from here on will be more original stuff and light novel stuff.**

 **This Chapter ended up way longer than I originally thought it was, but I guess I had a lot to get out in the end. So, the Willowind part of Stitchstix name is the "real" part. The doll is kinda like a suit of armor that protects the heart. For the Shade appearance I was very much taking inspiration from things like Nocturne in League of Legends, Shadow Fiend in Dota, and a little Ghostfreak in Ben 10.**

 **Oh and for the "Reverberating voice" I mentioned it having in this form I was very much going for the Dormin voice from Shadow of the Colossus.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	14. Chapter 14: Loss

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

 **Okay a lot of people were confused by the back half of Chapter 13, so he's a chapter to "explain away" the situation.**

* * *

 **Entoma's POV**

"Grr…" Master growled under his breath looking over some of his notes.

"Do you need anything?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine, just leave me be for now." It said.

"Okay." I nodded and stopped out.

I went to the lower levels and did some simple tasks but, I can't help but worry a bit.

"It's rare to see you around here Entoma."

"Lord Ainz." I bowed "Yes I came here, Master wished to be alone."

"Did it now." He hummed touching his chin "You seem to be unsure about that."

I looked up "Since the other night Master…Father has been very solitary, not talking and studying notes all night long."

"I see…"

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"No, no this is wrong too!" I threw a paper across the room "It can't just be that sword!"

I was looking over the notes I had on Lakyus, even with that sword beating me shouldn't have been so simple, how had she escaped the Mind Box like that? As I was lamenting over my near total defeat at the hands of Blue Rose the door into the lab opened.

"I thought I said I wasn't to be disturbed-Lord Ainz." I stopped myself and bowed "What brings your greatness to my humble neck of the woods?"

"I came to see what your latest experiment is." He said.

I looked up at him "At this current moment I've placed my Black Dust experiment on hold, I'm not sure I can learn much more at this time."

"You were defeated in Demiurge siege correct." He cut to the chase.

 _No more beating around the bush I see._

"Yes, I apologize for this ones' error." I lowered my head "even though you warned Cocytus about underestimating opponents with the lizard men I foolishly underestimated Blue Rose, I assumed that they would not have access to resurrection magic and that I would be at most only facing three members. I also did not anticipate Evileye having so easily deduced my true form and warning them to guard again psychic and mental attacks."

"I was careless." I growled looking over my notes "I had planned to trap them all in a Mind Box and kill them while they were trapped in their nightmares but they resisted, except for their leader who broke free with the power of her sword."

"I was not built for physical combat, this one was meant to use quicker illusion and mental attacks to incapacitate foes." I growled "And for them to so easily see my weakness to light."

"Hmm." He nodded.

"I am supposed to be the smart Guardian but here I am making the stupidest mistakes." I shook my head "I deserved to lose. The only true benefit was that I was able to learn more about Lakyus sword."

"Poignant analysis, though without seeing the fight myself I can't say for sure how truthful it was." He hummed "Though in the debriefing the members of Blue Rose did comment that they were just as disappointed in themselves, their leader being trapped, being tossed around before the light attack, allowing you to escape, so I suppose in a way both sides feel they lost and won."

"Next time I see them I will crush them, I was too passive, I was trying to hard to study the girl and not win the fight. I can eliminate them at my next opportunity, no I will eliminate them all."

He started leaving "For now though I'd like you to keep researching the sword, eventually it will fall into our hands."

"Yes Lord."

"Oh, one last thing." He turned back and gave me a sharp downward glare, the pressure coming off him enough to make it difficult to hold my head up "Don't let such childlike curiosity and lack of focus happen again, I expect results."

"Y-Yes." I gulped "this failure will weigh heavily on me."

With that he left and I stood there before I could collect myself. I looked at the notes on the table, each one a dossier on Blue Rose members.

"You all made me look like a fool." I growled staring at them "Next time, it won't go the same way, I surge up the fear inside you till you know so much terror and pain you'll forget what it means to ever have felt joy! Resurrect each other, do whatever you want but I swear one by one I will hunt you all down and I will make you suffer!"

* * *

 **Entoma's POV**

"It seems to be in better spirits having gotten that off its chest." Lord Ainz said "I trust you can assist him further?"

"Yes Lord." I bowed.

"I will make you suffer!" Master yelled jamming their pictures onto a wall with a knife "Entoma come!"

"Master." I stepped out and bowed.

"We're starting now." Master opened a cabinet and grabbed a beehive like nest and shook it "Go, get out here!"

A swarm of strange hornets buzzed out.

"Nightmare Nettles, go follow the path of the moths and find that girl." it said "I never want her to have peace in sleep ever again!"

The swam buzzed off.

"Just what are you planning Master?" I asked.

"I'll wither them down till they want to wither away." Master mumbled chewing on its fingers "the sword can bring light even at night, which means fighting her head on is useless, but if that's the case I'll just fight indirectly, I'll make her relive that tortuous nightmare again and again, no matter how many times that sword tries to wake her from it ever time she sleeps she'll be confronted with that dream of killing her friends and being cut open, I might not be able to keep her trapped in a permanent Mind Box but I can put her in a new one every night!"

"If you want them eliminated I can take care of it." I said.

"It's best not, I locked off part of her mind but knowing how skilled she is it's only a matter of time till Evileye breaks the lock and regains use of her Vermin Bane spell and if Lakyus is there I will have difficulty saving you this time dear…besides."

Father leaned over backwards and smiled "I want them to suffer there's no fun in you simply devouring them my dear!"

 _Didn't Lord Ainz tell Father not to be so childlike, yet he wants their deaths to be fun? Perhaps that's something that will never change. But still…_

"I will strive to help you however I can." I bowed.

 _Those uppity bitches harmed my Master, my Father…I don't care what it says, if I see them I'll rip their flesh from their bones!_

"Oh right come here Entoma." He reached into a bag "I procured a new lip bug for you."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **So, let's just cut to the chase on the whole "Lost to Blue Rose thing" it was meant to be a sort of parallel with Entoma's loss, how she lost just because Evileye had a personal spell to counter. Willowind is incredibly weak to light, just going out in the daylight could kill it. So Lakyus having an unexpected light-based attack would do significant damage. Additionally Stitchstix is not a physical fighter like most of the others, its skills lie in illusion and mind magic, so a straight up four on one fight is again, not a strong suit. Also it was trying to treat the fight partially as an experiment to pluck apart Lakyus mind but when that got thrown out the window the whole plan kinda fell apart so suddenly that all Willow could do was thrash around angrily.**

 **Look…I can't kill off Blue Rose here, but I can't do another Stitch leaves the fight cause the time limit appeared again since I did that for both fights with Evileye and doing it three fights in a row would start to feel lame and lazy.**

 **I just ask you give me a little wiggle room to work, having Stitch get caught off guard and lose here opens up more possibilities for me in the future and reestablishing it as strong isn't difficult. I also liked the idea of a Floor Guardian not just doing the same "Here's a few moves that wipe out all opposition without breaking a sweat" thing and instead getting a little more caught off guard when their plan doesn't work or someone actually withstands an attack.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	15. Chapter 15: Heart

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"I've got it!"

"Master?" Entoma came in when I rolled off the bed.

"I've got the perfect plan that will crush that annoying dark sword girl!" I yelled.

"Where did you think of something?" she asked.

"It game to me in a dream." I smiled "It's out there even for me but if it works, her whole heart and soul will be crushed in my hand."

"I'm sure it's a brilliant plan Master." She clapped "umm but what is it?"

"Just leave it to me." I pulled up my view to check the moths "This will be close, I'll have to act quickly, I'll leave things here to you Entoma."

"Okay!"

I gathered magic in my hands **"Glamor!"**

I assumed the human form and adjusted my jacket.

"Hmm?" Entoma tilted her head.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." She fixed the tie "Best of luck Master."

" **GATE!"**

I warped my way back to the capital, things were still in a bit of disarray but they were picking up without too much struggle though defenses were clearly increased, thankfully my Glamor isn't easily detected by magic or easily dispel thanks to its ability but as a result any magic I cast in this form is much weaker. I knew where I was going so I walked quickly to make sure my timing was right, the moths showed me an image so I wasn't going to lose this key chance.

I walked about and quickly turned a corner.

"Oh!" someone gasped bumping into me and falling back.

"I'm so sorry." I smiled reaching my hand out "Allow me."

The blonde-haired woman took my hand and allowed me to help her up, I wasn't pleased to be touching a human like this, but it was all part of the plan.

The woman I helped up was beautiful by human standards, long somewhat curly blonde hair, flawless skin, sharp green eyes and soft lips.

"Thank you." She smiled as I helped her stand up.

She was wearing a peach colored dress, something that seemed to fit her perfectly but also an outfit that didn't suit her true nature.

"You…are you by chance Lakyus, the leader of Blue Rose." I asked.

"Yes stranger that is my name." she smiled "I take it you've heard of me?"

"I've heard many tales of the powerful and beautiful female warriors of Blue Rose." I said "Though it seems the stories weren't all that true?"

"Really now?" she asked.

"Yes, they said the leader was beautiful but, it seems that they grossly under sold just how tore that was." I smiled softly.

She smirked and snickered a bit "You're quite the charmer aren't you."

"When I need to be." I said.

 _This is too easy, picking at the heart strings of humans is so easy when you've studied them this much, just tell them what you want to hear and they open like a flower in bloom._

"Though I have to ask what someone like you is doing in the middle of a place like this?" I asked looking at the construction.

"I just got out of a meeting and was heading back home." She smiled "I had to pass through was all."

I looked at her face, her eyes seemed a little darker than one would expect from a young lady like her, she wasn't wearing makeup or anything of the like around her eyes so I took it to be a sign of poor sleep.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet such a legendary warrior in person." I smiled

"Well thank you." She smiled "It was nice to meet you too…I'm sorry I never asked your name."

 _Oh shit I forgot about that…uhh I need to give her something good…_

I looked around the market for a quick idea.

 _Tom Ato, no that's dumb…Ash Ketchup…Why am I thinking of so many tomato related names?!_

"My name is, Peter Scalene Van Reign." I quickly just threw a bunch of words together.

"That's quite a name." she said "Are you a noble as well, I'm afraid I don't recognize the house."

"That's perfectly fine, we are a very small house from the Empire, we recently came here to try and avoid the troubles there." I bluffed her attempted at getting more information.

"I see, troubling times we live in." she frowned.

I looked over and saw a small group of tables "Would you care to join me for a cup of tea, I'd love to speak with you more."

"I've already had a few cups with the princess." She sighed "At this point one more can't hurt."

We took a seat and while waiting for a drink we spoke.

"So you were involved with that fight in the other portion of the capital the other day?" I asked.

"Yes." She frowned "We had to deal with all manner of demons and even a shade, just thinking about that monster…if he hadn't withdrawn when he did I wonder if our casualty numbers would have been higher we were fortunate to catch him off guard like this."

"Yes you were…" I said softly

"I'm sorry I didn't catch that." She looked.

"It was nothing." I said as the tea arrived "I'm sure everyone was quite pleased that you repelled such a threat."

"For now, they are." She frowned "We still haven't found a lot of the missing people and now their getting restless, I'm worried about what this means, not to mention ever since interacting with that monster it feels like my body is uneasy, my teammate used her magic to eliminate that disgusting bug it somehow planted in me but we can't figure out how it got there in the first place."

She sipped her tea as I spoke "Perhaps this monster is more cunning than you give it credit for."

"I'll believe a monster can be truly cunning when I see it." She smiled.

 _This fucking bitch I should kill her right here…focus, she must be made to suffer slowly._

"Still, something about that monster." She rubbed her eyes "Ever since our interaction I have felt…never mind I shouldn't be burdening someone I just met with these sorts of troubles."

"It's fine, I tend to have a good track record listening to the troubles of others." I smiled writing down an address "You can always contact me here should you need to talk again, or if you just want to see me."

 _It's just the address for the house we used as Solution and Sebas base. If anyone asks I'll just say Solution and I are related in some way…ugh just the thought of being relate to that bimbo…_

"Hmm." She took the paper and folded it placing it under one of her bracelets "I just might do that, but I'm afraid I must be going."

"I enjoyed our time together." I stood up and held her hand as she did the same.

I reached down and kissed the back of her hand "I would very much like to do this again sometime."

She smiled "As would I, it was a pleasure meeting you Peter, till next time."

"Till we meet again." I waved as she left.

 _Gross her hands were so…human, though it seems everything went well, she was quite open with me, now we just wait and hope she bites…_

I slipped into an ally and readied to leave "Slowly without mental magic I will make that girl fall for me and once I have her heart in my hand, I'll crush it and her spirit all in one fell swoop! KEKEKE!"

* * *

 **Later**

 **No POV**

 _ **"See!" The blackened heart pulsed in the monster's hands "This is yours! KEKEKE!"**_

"AH!" Lakyus jumped up and grabbed her chest "It was just…that dream again…"

She was shivering a bit, her body covered in a cold sweat of panic. Almost every night for the last week or so she'd been reliving that same dream, even after Evileye extracted the Dream Weaver that had laid nest to her brain. Nothing seemed to shake it not even magic. But she recognized the signs when it would happen, as she started to fall asleep she'd hear this incessant buzzing and when she next came to she was on that table again, her chest being sliced open and her heart pulled out before her eyes. The only saving grace was that it was short and quick, she'd wake up and then fall asleep again, the dream only happened once…and it was just the table, not the other horrors from before that in the fog.

"I still can't shake the feeling." She looked over at the sword "That some part of that dream is…real. Could me heart, really be getting corrupted like that?"

This last week her life had been a bundle of stress, the fight with Willowind, the missing people, the destruction, the reconstruction, the meetings with the Princess, the nightmares, but somehow the only thing that seemed to have been a calming force was the random chance meeting she had today on the street.

"He wasn't too bad." She laid her head back on the pillow "But then again I ended up talking about work like always, maybe next time I'll talk more about other stuff or him…wait why am I planning a next time I don't even know if I want to meet that guy again?!"

Lakyus get mumbling about her troubles out in the other rooms her friends wondered if she was talking to her sword again.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	16. Chapter 16: Doctor

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Hmm." I walked through one of the lower levels "Solution, come here."

"Huh, what?" the blonde swayed her way over to me.

"I require your assistance." I said.

"Me, don't you usually ask Entoma for stuff like that?" she asked.

"My dear Entoma is preoccupied at the moment." I told her "You will be assisting me in an examination."

"Okay." She blinked though her face looked a little aggravated she knew not to ignore my commands.

We walked to another side of the floor and found the traditional maids fretting about.

"Pestonya." I walked over to the dog woman "I'm looking for the new girl."

"She's around here, ah there cleaning those plates." She said "Woof."

I walked over to the maid, a young blonde girl with a distinctly human look to her.

"You are Tuare correct?" I asked.

"Y-Yes." She gasped a bit seeing me.

"Come with me, I need to examine you." I said.

"Huh?" she was confused.

"It's basic procedure when I see someone new show up, it will only take a few minutes." I said.

"O-Okay." She said meekly following me.

"I'm borrowing this one." I walked passed the dog.

"Of course." She bowed.

I used Gate to take the three of us back to my lab "Take a seat and take your uniform off."

"D-Do I have to?" I asked.

"Would it help if I said please?" I smiled "I'm a doctor in this room so relax."

I walked over to a cabinet and took a book out while the girl nervously undressed.

"I don't see why you need my help." Solution said.

"You'll see in time, just write down what I tell you." I walked over to the girl "I've never done a physical on a live human before, this will be fun for the both of us in that case."

The girl just shivered a bit.

"There's no reason to panic, I'm just taking some general baselines." I had her stand on a scale "And given your background I think it would be prudent to monitor your health a little more, especially as you transition into a place like Nazarick. Weight's in good shape."

Solution wrote down the number as I checked the girls height "A little short but not unexpected, please take a seat on the table."

Tuare looked afraid again as my finger glowed.

"This is just a spell I use to hear some internal processes, it's totally harmless."

"Okay." She looked down and nodded as I held it in front of her eyes and checked them.

"Eyes are a little over reactive…ears seem good, please say ah."

"Ahh…" she opened her mouth.

"Throat has a little excess mucus, and I'm seeing a bit of inflammation." I hummed "Lean forward."

I placed my finger on her spine and noted no curvature.

"Okay now breathe…" I listened to her.

 _Breaths sound a bit shallow…I'm not liking this…_

I moved around and placed my finger on her upper chest to hear her heart.

 _Again, the heart's a little erratic._

"Is…something wrong?" she asked.

"No my dear nothing is wrong." I stepped back and tapped her knee to check a reflex "You're doing very well, we'll be done soon."

"Okay, thank you." She smiled "I don't like…sitting like this but, you're making it much easier."

"I'm aware, I saw the report about you." I stepped back "Which is why asking this next part is awkward, I would like you to remove your underwear."

"W-What?" she immediately backed away "N-No."

"I just feel that given your previous situation it's pertinent to ensuring your continued health." I said "I have no plans to linger and will endeavor to finish the examination in the quickest least invasive way possible."

"If it makes you feel any better this thing has no sexual or romantic desire for anything." Solution told her.

"Silence!" I growled "Besides you should see my latest experiment."

"Hmm?" she smirked.

"Ignore that." I turned to the girl "Ignoring that brief diversion shall we get to work, I would knock you out with a sleep spell but I feel that would make things more uncomfortable."

"O-Okay, please just be quick." She blushed.

I had her sit down and quickly examined her genitals.

"Hmm." I looked at something "Okay then…Very good, we're all done here. Excellent job Tuare you can head back to work now, you're in good shape."

"Thank you." She bowed.

"Allow me." I opened a portal and dropped her off before porting back.

"Well, that was something." Solution hummed "That girl is gonna end up totally fucked if she stays here, humans aren't supposed to be here."

"It's none of my concern, Lord Ainz has accepted her and that is that." I looked at the notes "But this is troubling."

"What?"

"Compared to your original remarks that I asked for you healed her with a scroll correct?" I asked.

"Yes, I noted her preexisting injuries from my examination as well." She said "Although a scroll with healing magic only does so much."

"I'm aware, her vitals are off enough to concern me that she is suffering from a withdrawal of some drug, but without prying I can't know which one and know what to cure her with. Healing magic isn't quite as useful on healing addiction as more traditional methods."

"Hmm." Solution nodded.

"I'll do some more perodic checkups to make sure her body is moving on well enough." I said "Now for the reason I asked for your help, I want to let you in on my latest experiment."

"Really, how unlike you." She looked at me, her gaze was downward given that I was about an inch shorter than she was in my doll form.

I brought up a moth view "This is Lakyus, the one that so rudely gouged into my insides the other day, the one with the Sword of Darkness. I'm plotting my revenge, I plan to use my Glamor and mental skills to make her fall for me, at which point I will not only break her heart, but her mind as well."

"Oh how devilishly evil, I didn't think you were capable of things like that Master Stitchstix." She smirked.

"Never underestimate my genius. KEKEKE!" I laughed.

"Oh like you underestimated them in the fight." She jabbed back.

"Watch your tongue." I glared "Now since I'm posing as a noble I plan on using the mansion you and Sebas were in as my cover home, in other words should I need you I'll have you pose as my cousin so that the family looks a little more real."

"If you need me to play such a part I will." She nodded "Just don't go taking this girl in like that last stray human."

"That won't be a problem." I said.

"If that's all you needed I'll be going." She bowed.

"Actually, there's one last thing." I said as she was turned around "You conducted Tuare's initial examination and healing correct?"

"Yes." She nodded "I wrote a report as asked, is there something wrong."

I quickly turned around and grabbed her by the neck.

"What are you doing?!" she growled.

"If you were healing her care to explain why there were signs of sexual contact?" I asked.

"She was a whore before Sebas found her." She lied right to me "So of course she looks totally fucked up down there."

"I doubt she's had much sex with slimes in her line of work." I glared "Slime balls maybe but not slimes, you see when a slime enters female vaginally it leaves behind a distinct mucus that's very hard to get out."

"Tsk." She growled as I dug my fingers in tighter.

"You were supposed to be healing her instead you violated her while she was unable to defend herself." I growled "While you are entrusted with someone's health that should be your utmost priority not your own pleasures."

"Grr…." Solution grumbled, she didn't breath though her neck but the point I was making was still clear.

"I do my experiments on my own time, never on someone who has been entrusted to me for healing it would not matter if they were human, undead or something else, part of Nazarick or not while I am in charge of their health that will be my sole focus, never anything else and I expect the same from those that are considered nurses like the Plaids, you violated that sacred trust and that is not something I will take lightly girl!" I growled palming her waist.

"AHH!" she hissed grabbing her stomach as I dropped her "GAAH! What the Fuck did you do to me! My insides!"

" **Hex of Boiling Liquid."** I showed her my glowing "It causes the liquid inside a body to feel super-hot, it makes humans think their blood is boiling, but for a slime like you how's body is almost entirely liquid I'm sure it's excruciating, like being immolated where you stand."

"YOU-FUCKKK!" she hissed "Make it stop!"

I held her face "I don't like doing this, but you need to learn a lesson girl, healing is meant to help people no matter who they are, and when you are told to heal someone that is all you will do."

"Grr." She hissed standing up "You're a sick bastard, first you ask for my help and then you do this?"

"Oh relax." I snapped my fingers "I was merely sending a message, since you actually healed the girl I won't leave it on you for a week."

"Now get out of my sight." I said "Oh and don't go begging for someone to remove it, I already cleared this punishment with Yuri Alpha, all I had to do was confirm my suspicions based on your report, I'm sorry to say you incriminated yourself you knew a little too much about the sexually transmitted diseases she had."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I just wanted to not something about the whole "Healing" thing. As mentioned in the last few times Stitchstix worked on making someone feel better it takes being a doctor very seriously. It's sort of like a switch, normally it has no problems experimenting on people or being evil and violent, but when entrusted to check up on someone or heal them it's like a switch flips, healing and seriousness take over and it becomes about the patient and not doing them undo harm. Which is why in this case where he feels like Solution has wrongfully violated that unspoken code of trust between the doctor and the patient that it gets so pissed off.**

 **I like the conflicting roles though where sometimes Stitch gets to be a little less Mad Scientist Stitch and a little more Doctor Stitch.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	17. Chapter 17: Vet

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

I was back in the capital for the next iteration of my plan, with the mansion in order I had gotten a good cover going and now I was merely awaiting the arrival of the mark, I needed to convince Lakyus that the background I made for myself was real, I placed a few rumors and fabricated a few documents, now it was just cementing the fact. With her nightmares increasing the moths I had monitoring her alerted me to the fact she was seeking me out.

"One moment." I said intentionally delaying my path to the door, I waited a few moments and opened it to see Lakyus there "Oh…hello."

She was wearing a different dress from last time, this one was shorter and a deep red, her hair was tied up a bit this time as opposed to being in a side curled ponytail.

"Please come in, I'm with a client at the moment but you're welcome to wait." I said holding the door open.

"Sorry if I'm intruding." She looked back as if she was making sure no one had followed her here and entered "What are you doing?"

"A little medical work." I said "Vertiranary work."

"You work with animals?" she asked following me.

"People tend to be my focus but since I recently arrived in the capital I've noticed it was short of vets so I thought to make a bit of a market for myself."

I opened the door to show Lord Ainz's oversized pet hamster on its back with Narberal standing off to the side.

"In pain this one is." The hamster said.

I gave it a glare, it's overacting was obnoxious.

"Quiet rat." Narberal sighed.

"You're acquainted with the adventurer Momon and his partner Nabe correct?" I asked "This is his pet, the wise king of the forest, apparently it's been under the weather as of later."

"Sorry to hear that." Lakyus smiled "Hello."

"Hmm." Narberal nodded.

"Now then." I grabbed some tweezers "How about we get to work."

"What do you think that will make this one do?!" the hamster yelled.

"Oh, calm down." I sighed trying not to let my frustrations bleed out.

"You're not going to use healing magic?" Lakyus asked.

"Sometimes a more direct approach is needed, in circumstances like this…" I adjusted a magnifying glass strapped over my eye as I reached in and pinched.

"YAAA!"

"It's better to save the mana." I held up a tiny splinter and dropped it into a metal bowl "That should do it, I will see you and Miss Nabe out, please Lakyus wait here I'll be back in just a moment."

"It's fine." The blonde smiled.

I stepped out and closed the door, turning to Narberal "Thank you, now lets take our time, I intentionally left some things out to plant seeds that I am what I say, fake credentials, books, that sort of stuff."

"Thinking a step ahead as always." She nodded.

"I'm being extra cautions these days." I said "Thank you for complying with my request."

"It worked out for both of us, the rats been complaining about that foot for the last three days." She sighed.

"Well watch where you watch next time." I opened the door "Till we meet again."

"Yes." Narberal bowed "Good bye Master Stitchstix."

"You don't have to be so formal." I sighed "Though maybe that casual attitude I've adopted is why no one seems to respect me-and she's gone."

I waited another few moments and walked back into the other room.

"Sorry about that." I quickly cleaned up to make it look like I was a bit flustered.

"No it's fine I'm the one who came over unannounced." She tried to reassure me.

"Well a visit from you is always welcomed." I said with a smile "Now how can I help you?"

"Last we spoke you mentioned that you have a knack for listening to the troubles of others." Lakyus fidgeted with her fingers a bit "I was…"

"Wondering if I would listen?" I asked.

"Yes…sorry it's a bit embarrassing." She blushed "I don't like asking for help it's just…I'm at my wit's end with all of this."

 _If I agree I would be taking her on as a patient, which means that during any session like this I would not be able to use my privates to harm or learn undo things about her, this could complicate things…but she's asking for my help and as a doctor I should help her…Lady SomberEvening why did you create me with such a contradiction._

"Very well, take a seat." I made a direct decision and sat across from her.

I reached over and grabbed a notepad as she sat, tucking her dress under her as she looked up.

"So, tell me what seems to be bothering you?" I asked.

"…actually, never mind, this was a mistake." She started to stand.

"Sit." I grabbed her wrist, I was surprised at how soft her skin was, normally the humans I get in the lab are so withered and worn out they never feel so…alive "Running away won't solve whatever ails you, even if it makes you feel better in the short term."

"…very well." She sat back down and collected herself "During our fight with the Nightmare Shade I found myself trapped within its dream inducing spell, it…it tortured me with dark thoughts, made me think I had killed my team, it cut my body opened and showed me my own heart, saying that I was the one that did it all, my sword withered away my heart."

I nodded.

"It was…it felt so real." She looked down "It was just a bad dream, but it still feels so real…so true."

"You had a traumatic experience, it's normal to experience stresses after." I said.

"That's not all though." She said looking worried "Almost every night since I've had the same dream, on the table with that monster holding my heart in its hands before me. I've checked, there's no traces of magic left, nothing in my room, but they won't stop."

 _Wait…even the bugs I left should leave a faint trace of magic, if she's truly having these dreams on her own it speaks to a much deeper problem, one unrelated to me._

"You said you feared your sword was withering away at you, what did you mean by that?" I asked.

Lakyus paused "When I first received Kilineiram I was warned that it is a conduit of negative energy and that only a faithful heart of a maiden can suppress its influence, I've never had problems but recently, if felt this buzzing in my head my mind feels blank sometimes like I forget who I am. That's why this dream worries me, it feels like I'm speeding towards an inevitable darkness, I'm losing control, I can feel it."

"Perhaps you are overthinking it as a result of the nightmare." I suggested.

"I don't know, this feels different." She worried.

"I see." I made a note "Okay, I want you to try placing this on the wall above your bed."

I reached into a bag and handed her a dreamcatcher.

"I got this from an old sage, supposedly it inhibits bad dreams as a sort of good luck charm." I gave it to her "If the dreams still haven't stopped in a week contact me again, or if you feel no change before that you may come by as well."

"Okay." She placed the ornament in her purse "I wish I had a way to thank you."

"Your company is compensation enough." I smiled and she giggled a bit.

"All this stress, being with you is a welcome change of pace." She smiled before leaning up and kissing my cheek "Thank you."

"Hmm." I nodded as she left.

 _Truthfully that dreamcatcher is nothing but a cheap decoration, but her lack of magical traces suggest that this may not be from me, I'm going to call my bugs off and see if her nightmares continue on their own. Apparently, this experiment will be pivoting a bit into unexpected new territory._

I bit my nail "How exciting! KEKEKE! You're starting to fascinate me more and more by the day. Still…"

I reached up and scratched my cheek "Still, that was quite forward of her, good thing the Glamor is on, had that been my real body I would have had to cut it off and sow on a patch."

* * *

 **AN.**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	18. Chapter 18: Cousins

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **NO POV**

The lab was silent as Entoma sat quietly in her little corner near the door, her Master laying back on a bed in the corner contently, eyes closed and body still.

"Hmm." The bug girl looked up as Solution walked in.

"Where's Master Stitchstix?" she asked.

"Sleeping." Entoma pointed.

Solution sighed a bit began walking towards the bed.

"You don't want to wake Father." Entoma warned her "Master sleeps once every two weeks to recharge dream energy, don't disturb."

"I really don't have time to wait." The blonde took a seat and tapped her boots on the ground "How look will it take?"

"Another couple minutes." Entoma said playing with some old bones like a child.

The two were awkwardly silent for a bit, Entoma playfully drumming on the ground while Solution watched her curiously.

"YAAWWW!" Stitchstix rose and stretched its arms, it hopped off the bed and went right over to a bottle sitting on a burner.

"Uhh…" Solution just blinked as the Guardian didn't even seem to pay her any mind as it went about it's experiments "Hello?"

"If you need something just say it." The doll said mixing two potions and watching them turn orange and start to foam "Oh…that wasn't supposed to happen."

It tossed the bottle into the corner, the glass shatter and spill foaming liquid onto the floor.

Solution never liked coming here, especially with how casually dismissive Stitchstix could be.

"I was told to tell you that your girlfriend has been seen around the mansion again." Solution explained.

"I know." Stitchstix hummed "She was probably looking for me, let me guess she had another bad dream."

"Yes." She nodded "She wanted your advisement so I told her to return tomorrow."

"I'm assuming she bought the idea that we are relatives?" it asked.

"Yes, but if I might suggest Master it would be far more convincing if we were seen together, having me housesit for you doesn't take away all suspicion." She told him.

"You have a point, rare for you." Stitchstix teased "Very well, let's make a grand entrance tomorrow, then shall we?"

* * *

 **The Next Day**

 **Stitchstix POV**

"It would appear our guest has arrived." I fixed my tie.

"Let's get this over with." Solution said pushing up her oversized bust "They look big and convincing enough?"

"Why would you ask me?" I rolled my eyes and opened the door "Lakyus please come in, it's wonderful to see you again."

"Thank you, Peter." She smiled.

"You are familiar with my cousin correct?" I pointed to solution.

"We're…acquainted." The girls said.

"If you want to run a clinic fine, but don't do it in my mansion." Solution played into her bitchy rich girl persona "I'm not running some charity case for you."

"I'm merely trying to get started, you've lived here longer than I have." I said fighting back.

"Whatever, keep your patient-" She made sure to put enough emphasis on the word to make you think she meant it in a questioning or even derogatory way "-in your office and out of my house."

"Yes, yes." I ushered the other blonde along "Come this way Lakyus."

She hummed and followed me, not hesitating to give Solution a look, once we got to the room I was using as an office I closed the door.

"Pardon my cousin, she's quite used to getting what she wants." I smiled "Though she is family and I owe her a lot for allowing me to stay here with her."

"It's fine, but I did get the feeling she was rather…not personal." Lakyus smiled taking her seat on as soft chair.

"She might seem rough and abrasive on the outside, but I assure you once you get passed that hard outer shell there's a sweet soft center of a kind girl." I smiled.

 _You have no clue how true that soft center part is…_

"Now then last we spoke you said the dream had continues despite the introduction of the dreamcatcher." I looked over some notes "I was told you wanted to make note of something, is it related to the sleeping pills I recommended?"

"Actually yeah, they worked a little better in terms of getting sleep." She rubbed her eyes "But…the dream still happens, or at least I remember having it most night, I just don't wake up after it like I was before."

"Interesting." I scribbled something down.

 _I've got a pretty good idea of what's causing this dream…and it's exactly what she thinks it is._

I went though another speaking session with Lakyus and told her I had some theories but I didn't want to speculate with her yet.

"Finally leaving?" Solution stood at the top of the stairs as I walked Lakyus out.

"Yes she is." I nodded.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Lakyus told her before turning to me "If it's more convenient for you, maybe you can come to my estate for the next session."

"That would be a fine idea." I smiled opening the door for her "Will the same time next week work for you?"

"Hmm…yes that's fine." She nodded "I'll keep notes in that journal you gave me and we can talk more about it later."

"Wonderful." I smiled kissing her hand "Have a pleasant evening Lakyus."

"You as well." She bowed and left.

I watched her turn out onto the street before I closed the door.

"Hmm." I instinctively wiped my lips off on my hand.

"That went well." Solution said "We've cemented our relationship and as planned you now have an invitation into her private quarters."

"Indeed." I smiled "Well done, you have your useful moments after all."

"Hmph." She smirked a bit "Though wouldn't you say the kiss was a bit much."

"It's a custom she and I seem to have established." I said "I don't…dislike it, humans are interesting creatures, I find them fun to study and examine, things best done up close for full effect."

"Humans are garbage." Solution said "We're better off without them."

"Different strokes as Lady SomberEvening once said." I told her "Now then let's get back to Nazarick, I left Entoma watching some experiments and I fear she might start getting peckish."

"She has taste that girl." Solution smiled "Though she eats to fast for my taste."

"You're always welcome to join her for a meal, I always have plenty of rejects to be disposed of." I said "Not that she's big on sharing."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	19. Chapter 19: Lakyus Dream

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Everything has led to this moment." I looked up at the mansion "Today we get all the answers."

I had taken Lakyus up on her offer and was no arriving at her estate to conduct one last test that would ensure I knew what I needed to know. I knocked on the door and a servant saw me in.

"Lakyus." I took her hand "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise." She smiled as I kissed her hand.

 _She's getting way to into this, she practically sticks her hand out when she sees me…though I can't say I truly hate it all that much._

"Come please, dinner should be ready shorty, we can speak after." She gestured forward.

"Of course." I smiled.

Today she was wearing a purple dress and judging by the amount of cleavage she was showing off with it she was probably trying to be flirty, unfortunately for her shades tend to not get sexually attractive…though since we are also called dream divers maybe we do, I've heard stories of shades getting themselves involved in more adult dreams…wait I'm digressing.

She took me into a huge hall where there was a pretty large table.

"Sorry about this whole setup, normally my uncle is the one having guests over." She said "Thought it's just the two of us tonight."

"That's fine with me, I won't have to worry about anyone else distracting us from each other." I smiled.

 _Being flirty is so annoying._

The two of us sat at the one end of the table and started talking. Lakyus mentioned how her job was getting easier lately, seems even without the distraction of the ring of fire them managed gut most of eight fingers.

 _Yeah, no shit we did half the work._

A few of her servants came out with a variety of meals for the usual courses. Undead traditionally don't have to, or in some cases can't even, eat. I am of the former, I don't have to consume any type of food, but for circumstances like this is pays to be a living doll body filled with stuffing and bugs, unlike Lord Ainz who if he were to eat would have food run right through his bones, the bugs inside me will just eat whatever gets sent into my theoretical stomach.

I noticed Lakyus staring at me, a lot, for a moment I began to wonder if perhaps my glamor had somehow begun to glitch out and expose my true form.

"Sorry." She suddenly blushed and shook her head.

"Enamored with my charm and good looks." I teased a bit.

 _This girl, I wonder am I interested in her because I wish to study her humanity, or because of who she is? The nature of life and learning, it's all so complicated and fascinated._

"So, I've been meaning to ask." Lakyus was playing with her food a bit "have you any other family here in the capital besides your cousin? A parent or wife perhaps?"

"My parents chose to go a different place when leaving the Empire." I said "And no, I have no significant other."

"Good to know." She whispered under her breath, but just loud enough for me to pick up on.

We talked a bit more before it started to get late.

"Shall we get this test started then?" Lakyus asked "What did you have in mind?"

I placed my napkin back on the table "I would like to watch you sleep."

"PARDON?!" she gasped.

"Apologize I suppose that does sound rather uncouth of me." I laughed "I know some spells that will allow me to monitor your mental state while you sleep, it may allow me to learn more about the cause of your nightmares."

"Well, alright then." She blushed.

She let me follow her upstairs but insisted I wait in the hall for a time.

"C-Come in." she cracked the door.

I stepped in and saw why she seemed nervous, she slept in a black nightgown, one that was rather thin, not thin enough to show her skin but enough to make a younger woman like her uncomfortable wearing around any man that wouldn't be called her husband.

"Sorry I hadn't meant to make you uncomfortable." I turned away.

"It's fine, I'll get over it." She rubbed her arm "Just never expected to invite a man into my room like this is all."

"I promise I won't do anything I don't have to do." I bowed.

"You better now." She pouted getting into bed.

"You relax." I told her "I'll come back in a few minutes to see if you've fallen asleep."

As I looked around her room I couldn't help but be interested in how regal it was, it seemed more like the room of a princess than the actual bedroom of the princess. It took close to half an hour but soon Lakyus was asleep, I could hear her snoring.

"I think I'll spare sharing the fact that she snores like a hog in her sleep Kekeke." I snickered looking at her sword "Now let's get to work."

I first started by casting a deep sleeping spell on Lakyus, I didn't want her to awaken while I was at work, after that I used magic to double lock the door and make sure we had no interruptions.

" **Appraisal."**

I casted a basic item learning spell on her Kilineiram and learn about it.

"This is a cursed sword." I hummed looking at it "and this…"

I touched the hilt.

 _What the hell is this…_

I looked back "How the hell is someone like her able to withstand darkness like this, no wonder she thinks her heart is turning black, there's no way it can't be. I can't believe she hasn't gone mad."

 _Still…if she keeps going on using it…_

I grabbed a chair and sat across from her.

 _Don't hate me for this…_

" **Dream Vision!"**

I slumped over in the chair and jumped into her mind.

* * *

 **Dream World**

 **NO POV**

"What…where is this place?" Lakyus looked around in the nothingness around her "Is this related to Peter's monitor-Huh?"

She looked up and suddenly there were two chairs one normal and one a rickety rocking chair. She also saw that suddenly she was wearing her battle gear; her hair was tied up and her armor had been equipped.

"Take a seat." A voice said "I'll be with you in a second."

Lakyus felt like she recognized the voice, at least enough to trust it and sit in the normal chair. She looked at the floor and saw it looked dark, like it was covered in black smoke, slowly that smoke rose up and formed a figure in the other chair, the shadows took shape into Stitchstix.

"You!" she started to jump up "Are you the one doing this to me, torturing me with that nightmare?!

"Shush." The doll grabbed her wrist and made her sit "You don't want to wake it up, I know you think I'm some monster, but right now you need to trust me okay."

"I would never trust a monster like you." Lakyus hissed.

"Then what about me?" the doll glowed and suddenly sat before her as Peter.

"No…it can't be." Lakyus started putting the pieces together mentally as it shifted be.

"We are one and the same, Peter is merely a construct of my illusions." The doll told her "I used that form to get close to you, to study you."

Lakyus was shaking, for her it felt like everything she knew was suddenly destabilizing.

"I have the answer you seek." The doll said "I am not the cause of your nightmare, you are."

"What?"

"You were correct to be worried about your sword." Stitchstix explained "I believe it is corrupting your heart, and the remaining light in your heart was sending you that nightmare as a cry for help, like it or not…I think we were meant to learn about each other, you need to trust me or things will only get worse, right now your body is at an impasse, and if something is not done…you may become something evil, something inhuman."

Lakyus just sat there.

"Everything thing I said to you as Peter was true." It told her.

"Why?"

"I find humans fascinating, their adaptability, their strange sense of comradery, my allies might things lesser of your species but I find them far more intriguing." It said "I must understand why, compared to species that are physically superior the humans are always the ones to rise above all others, I must know."

"So, I'm just some test subject for you?" she asked.

"Originally yes." Stitchstix said "But as of late I've started finding myself rather…conflicted."

Lakyus raised an eyebrow, Stitchstix made note that she was opening back up, at least enough to converse with it.=.

"When I think of something unlikable happening to you." Stitchstix sighed "I find my mind enters a rather flustered state."

Stitchstix focused "Like I was saying your body is at an impasse, if you keep using Kilineiram your soul and mind will degrade more and more by the darkness until you cease being human, if you cast it aside though, you can save yourself from this darkness. Though if you chose option one we could totally be evil buds together KEKEKE!"

"I think I'll pass." Lakyus said.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Stitchstix smiled "Couldn't help but ask. Though there is a third option…never mind you're not strong enough for that yet."

"Hmm?" Lakyus looked up.

"But maybe we won't have a chance to wait." Stitchstix hummed.

"Cast aside the Sword of Darkness?" A distorted voice said "I was going to wait a bit longer but I guess I'll have to take your body from you now!"

"Move!" Stitchstix grabbed Lakyus had pulled her to the side as a wave of energy turned the chairs they were in to splinters.

"What the hell was that?" Lakyus looked back.

"I was worried this might happen." Stitchstix said "Get ready."

The smoke covering the floor distorted as a Dark Lakyus rose out of it, it was a near exact copy except for a color pallet change. Her skin was gray, her eyes red like laser pointers, rather than white and gold her armor was purple and red, the blade like wings Lakyus usually had equipped instead looked like black feathered angel wings, and most obvious, this Dark Lakyus was brandishing Kilineiram at them.

"Is that…me?" Lakyus gasped.

"Actually, it's the darkness of the sword given form." Stitchstix stood up and reached a hand out "Get up."

"You think you can just stop using me." Dark Lakyus said "I've been waiting years, preparing for this moment, you will merge with me!"

"Don't let it get a hold of you." Stitchstix threw out a wave of corrosive acid "If it merges with your soul you will turn evil!"

"That won't work." The Dark Lakyus sliced right through "Kilineiram!"

She sent out a wave of light energy that Stitchstix slid under.

" **Hex Magic: Fire tower!"**

A magic circle appeared under Dark Lakyus and blasted her with heat, but she flapped her dark wings and flew out of it.

"Why…why is this happening? Why are you doing this?" Lakyus asked.

"Because I told you." Stitchstix smiled "You're interesting! Kekeke!"

"Insolent dream weaver!" Dark Lakyus fired at him with her wings, a barrage of sharp feathers flying out "Stop interfering!"

"TSK!" the doll hissed as a feather sliced at its arm "I hate physical combat."

"It hurt?" Lakyus gasped.

"This is a dream, this is merely a projection of my spirit." It told her "If I get hit here it will hurt, dying in a dream is the same as dying in the real world, it's the inherent danger of dream combat."

The monster smiled "But it's also my specialty."

"AH!" Lakyus jumped back as her shadow tried to grab her "Without a sword I can't do anything."

"This is a dream remember, thank your friend for showing me this so much," Stitchstix moved its fingers and drew in the air "It's your dream…so you can control it."

" **Maximize Magic: Shard Buckshot!"**

A blast of crystal flew out and forced the monster to blocked.

" **Shard Buckshot!"** suddenly an apparition of Evileye appeared behind Dark Lakyus and blasted her before fading away.

"Hmm." Lakyus glared and the shadow of herself.

"Now you're getting it." Stitchstix stood up and held its arms wide "That's the beauty of a dream, in a dream nothing can stop you, if you can imagine it, it can be real!"

"GRR!" Dark Lakyus blocked as suddenly an apparition of Gagaran appeared and took a swing.

" **Maximize Magic: Acid Splash!"** Stitchstix threw two globs of acid out at the dark apparition and burned it's back "KEKEKE!"

"You've been poisoning me from the start." Lakyus told her shadow "I'm not your plaything."

Her hands glowed and a copy of Kilineiram appeared in her hands "RAAAAH!"

She slashed through the creature at blurring speed.

"TSK!" It blocked with its own Kilineiram and glared back at her "That won't work, you're too week to stop me."

"AAH!" Lakyus suddenly got grabbed by her neck "Now embrace darkness!"

" **Sealing Magic!"**

"WHAT?!" the Dark Lakyus gasped as she was suddenly forced to drop the real Lakyus and she felt her body getting sucked backward "You damn Shade!"

" **Mind Box!"** Stitchstix clapped its hands into a square as it trapped the force in a cube.

The real Lakyus sat there panting looking up as the scarecrow smiled, examining the black shadowy cube in its hand.

"And that's how you seal darkness away KEKEKE!" it laughed "I can't purge it from the sword, but this should save Kilineiram for your use and save your heart."

"…thank you." Lakyus said, to the point she was shocked that she even responded to a monster with such words.

"Not a problem." Stitchstix sent the Dark Lakyus cube cell drifting into the back of her mind where it would be locked away "Like I said I only did this because you were interesting, don't think this makes us allies or anything."

"Of course." Lakyus nodded.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Stitchstix POV**

"I suppose I should thank you for not immedaitly stabbing me when you woke." I told Lakyus "I'm afraid this will be the last time we speak."

I was back in the real world, wearing my Glamor again, it just makes things easier, more disconnected.

"…I suppose it is." She looked at me "Even if it was full of deceptions and lies I enjoyed our time together, Peter."

"I suppose I did as well."

"You…you don't have to-." She started.

"No, this is safest, for both you and myself." I bowed "If my true self were ever to be discovered it would get complicated rather quickly."

I took her hand and kissed the back of it "Goodbye Lakyus."

"…" she held my hand as I stood up before she held my face "I'm so gonna end up regretting this."

She kissed my lips and sighed "Goodbye."

I used a Shadow Hole to dart out of the estate and then ported back to Nazarick.

"You're out an about awfully late." Demiurge said when I stepped out near the throne room "Just where were you?"

"That is no concern of yours." I walked by him and got back to my lab.

"Welcome home Master." Entoma bowed greeting me.

"Yes, I'm back." I patted her head.

 _I suppose that ends my mission to learn more about Kilineiram, it might not be what Lord Ainz had in mind but…I rather enjoyed those excursions…Lakyus_ _Alvein Dale Aindra…I hope we can cross paths in an interesting way again._

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I just wanted to make a note since I'm sure I'll get asked about it, Stitch does not hate humans, he doesn't think they're exceptionally special. Its thinks they're interesting which is enough to warrant its interest in return. It also has few overall opinions on a species, instead forming thoughts based on individuals. So, it could hate all others ogres but meet one interesting ogre and that would be enough for it not to care about the other preconceived notions.**

 **That was the same idea I was going for with Lakyus, she hates monsters, but she's built up a relationship with this one monster and now her view is a little muddled on the matter.**

 **Welp this ends our little "Lakyus Dreams" Arc.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	20. Chapter 20: Boredom

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **NO POV  
** "RAAH!" Stitchstix growled hurling a bottle at a wall.

"What's the matter Master?" Entoma asked.

"I'm bored!" it groaned.

Entoma's emotionless face seemed to tilt for a moment but as usual gave no true reaction. Situations like this with her Master weren't unheard of, a bout of writers block in a way, so much or so little to do that it can't seem to make up its mind and instead seemingly gets totally unfocused. Things like this tend to happen after an experiment has taken a long time and produced unexpected, or unwanted results.

"Master, perhaps you should clear your head." Entoma said "refocus your mind, I can manage things in the meantime."

"Hmm, fine." It grumbled "Don't let anyone bother me then."

"Of course Master." She bowed a bit.

The doll returned to it's room leaving Entoma to clean up while it slept and refocused its mind. She started getting rid of the shards of glass from the bottle that was shattered before and then moved some things around on the desk.

"Hmm…" she peered down at the notes and studied them.

She read them a bit, they were information on the dreams of Lakyus and her dark blade. It even noted that the two had worked together to lock away the dark influence in the sword.

"That blonde girl…is friends with that one." Entoma touched her face "What are you doing with them Father…?"

Her voice seemed to click a bit.

"If they did something to you I'll…I'll…" she buzzed a bit "Grr…those five, Blue Roses, I'll devour them all like a locust!"

She then took a breath "No focus…if Master is studying them it must be for a reason, but still after what they did why would they be so special?"

* * *

 **Later**

"I've got it!"

"AHH!" Solution fell back "What's happening-oh it's just you."

The slimy blonde had been playfully arranging bones into a card pyramid style structure when something burst in and yelled loudly. She looked back and saw Stitchstix and Entoma coming towards her.

"Master appeared to finally have regained his spark." Entoma nodded.

"And that involved you two bugs bugging me?" Solution sighed.

"Relax I'm not taking an arm and a leg or anything." The doll said "Although maybe…"

"Hmm…" Solution raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind that, experiment for another day." Stitch told her picking up the bones "are you done playing with these like knickknacks?"

"The bones, I guess they don't digest as well as the flesh so I spit them out." She shrugged "I can digest them but they kinda sit around for a lot longer."

"Anything else you can't digest?" it asked.

"Most things melt, some just take longer." She picked up a femur bone and pushed it down her throat like an oversized churro "Since I can make pockets I can decided what I want to digest and with acidic potency."

"Yes I recall." Stitchstix smiled "You're a more effective garbage dump than Entoma."

"What was that?!"

"Oh relax it was a compliment Kekeke!" it laughed "Now come on you two we have some experiments to clean up-I mean test."

"Why can't Lady Shalltear need my help more often." Solution frowned.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **I'm still reading Vol 7, give me a few more weeks and we'll be back with more normal length chapters and canon such and such.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	21. Chapter 21: Voice

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

I looked across the room and saw Entoma going about her business organizing a shelf. Lately she had been doing a lot more work than usual.

"Entoma my dear is everything alright?" I asked.

"…yes Master." She nodded.

"Entoma…" I walked up and touched her chin "You've been quite lately, you've always been a girl of few words but this is a daunting silence…it's the new lipbug isn't it? Do you not like it."

"It was a gift from you father of course I treasure it but…" she lowered her head.

"It's not cute enough for you is that it?" I smiled "I'm sorry replicating the same voice just wouldn't be possible, I tried to get one close to it but it seems I didn't meet your standards."

When a lipbug eats the vocal cords of a person and steals their voice that's that, the voice can't be recovered by conventional means, and if the bug dies the voice is lost forever.

With Entoma's old lipbug having been exterminated by Evileye's Vermin Bane I had to procure a new one, this voice was a tad more mature and had a deeper pitch to it than she was used to and I could tell she hated it.

"I suppose I can try and find a new one if that would please you." I said.

"…Master."

"Anything to make you happy my dear." I smiled patting her head a bit in a fatherly way "Is there a specific tone you had in mind?"

"No…don't." she shook her head "I will gather the cords on my own. The voice I want…is hers."

She pointed at the wall where I had marked the posters of the four remaining Blue Rose members I was seeking to break, Tia, Tine, Gagaran and Evileye.

"You want Evileye's voice do you." I hummed scratching my chin.

"She took my voice…so I want to take hers." She growled a bit "Would that be acceptable to you?"

"Hmm." I shrugged "I see no reason it can't be, the things I want from Evileye aren't connected to her voice, I can learn all about her without words, though I would ask that you allow me to ask any questions before the extraction."

"Of course Father." She bowed.

"Though I wonder, you find Evileye's voice cute?" I asked.

"…I suppose." She tilted her head.

"Entoma I don't want to disappoint you but, I worry you might find her voice unfit for you." I told her.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Evileye isn't all she appears to be." I warned "So her voice may be the same, though that would require that I be able to confirm just what she is."

"The Blue Rose…they interest you Father?" she asked.

"All humans interest me in one way or another, but most so the strong ones." I bit my fingers "Don't you find them fascinating Entoma?"

"…No."

"I had a feeling you'd be that way." I laughed a bit "Well no harm I suppose, different views are part of what makes the world so interesting."

"Master I did have a question." She pointed over "This chest is new?"

"Oh that, yes it was a gift from Lord Ainz, apparently it is a memento from the fair lady." I explained "Seems he's been giving a lot of the Guardians old knickknacks and such of our creators, Aura got that bracelet and Shalltear was given Perorochino's encyclopedia…I would love to get my hands on that, though odds are I probably know the information in it front to back already but hey…"

"What's in there?" Entoma tilted her head.

"Nothing useful that I assure you." I hummed opening it up "See."

"It's…a scarf." Entoma looked at the white gray cloth in the trunk.

"Indeed." I picked it up and felt the smooth texture "A scarf made from the silk our Lady SomberEvening. A magic item she created **Reacher."**

I wrapped it around my neck, the pure white color seemed to clash with my naturally dirty bag skin of my doll from.

"Hmm…" Entoma nodded before reaching up and tucking it properly "There…it suits you Father."

"You really think so." I laughed "Well it does have one use."

I focused my magic a bit and the trail end reached up like an arm and pulled a book off a shelf.

" **Long Reach** that's the enchantment she placed on this item." I said "Hexes and Enchantments, the Fair Lady certainly had incredible skills."

Entoma nodded "Yes she was."

"Ah no use dwelling on the past." I sighed "We've got work to do my dear."

"Yes Father." Entoma bowed as a bug fluttered in.

"Is he now…" I hummed looking at it "Demiurge…you naughty boy. Here I thought I was the one doing the dark experiments but this, well now."

Entoma tilted her head "Master."

"No concern for you my dear." I smiled "Though in the future it might be, I'll need to keep an eye on that, the princess too."

"The Princess?" Entoma asked.

"Yes it would seem she's been getting a little too curious." I jumped up onto a desk to reach a high shelf "She found one of our poor bugs and plucked the wings right off the creature, now she's noticing them more and more, that girl…she's no ordinary human."

 _She's cunning…too cunning, if I misplay my hand she could learn things she's not supposed to, did my Mind Worm do this or…has she always been this smart, either way she's dangerous, I won't underestimate her like I did Blue Rose."_

"She'll try and corner me, I need to stay a step ahead." I hummed.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Anime's back (With a great opening too) so I decided to write a new chapter, it's a little more fluff but we should be starting Vol 7 stuff soon, I'm just about to dig into the book sometime this weekend (After I work two straight nightshifts.)**

 **Till Next Time!**


	22. Chapter 22: Invaders

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

Albedo was calling another meeting of the guardians as a wrap up from the Kingdom attack we'd just pulled off. She was doing it all, summoning every guardian, most of the area guardians and more all for a big address by Lord Ainz.

Most of it was stuff that didn't interest me, rewards for Sebas and Solution, though I was quite pleased when he was generous to Entoma and myself despite out defeat, should we eliminate Evileye in the future, we were free to claim her voice for my dearest daughter. By the end of the discussion Demiurge had suggested testing the defenses and opening up the tomb to outsiders to begin spreading our name.

"What was that?" I walked behind him as we were dismissed.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked.

"Just a few short months ago when we first arrived you were very averse to letting Lord Ainz even leave the tomb yet suddenly you suggest an idea like this." I looked up "What are you playing at?"

Demiurge fixed his glasses "Merely seeking to gift this world to Lord Ainz like we agreed to, all my plans always step us closer to that end…can the same be said for yours?"

"Hmm." I growled deeply.

 _His ambitions could doom us all at this rate, though maybe I'm still being too cautious after my misstep?_

"Whatever, I will prepare as Albedo instructs." I opened a Gate "Oh and Demiurge."

"Yes?"

"I received a report from one of my little pets." I looked back "You're experiment is dangerous, try not to let it get out of control, I don't want to have to get called in to help clean up a mess again like with Sebas."

I warped my way back to my lab and sat down, Albedo was already moving rather swiftly with her planning, it seemed like within hours she sent me a preliminary plan for review.

"Well now…this only helps a bit." I tapped my fingers on a desk "Without knowing how many or how strong we can't properly get set till they arrive and Lord Ainz scouts them, still they should be manageable without too much trouble. Entoma ready the three would you, they'll need to be briefed on our portion of the plan as well."

"I'll summon them at once." She bowed.

* * *

 **Later**

In the end Lord Ainz said the worker teams that had been unfortunate enough to accept the plant job to come here weren't all that special, none exceptionally strong, none that wasn't in it for profit and gain…none worth sparing.

"Aura thank you for allowing me to borrow the sixth floor for our demonstration." I looked at the young elf "I'd hate to have forced Lord Ainz to dirty his robes mucking about in the swamps to watch this."

"Yeah it's no big deal." She shrugged "Besides the arena doesn't get a ton of use so might as well break it out."

"Seems like our quarry has been summoned." I leaned on the railing "The other teams have already been eliminated I'm curious how these ones will fare."

The gate opened a bit as four people walked in, from the bugs around the tomb I had learned they were a team known as Foresight, one Lord Ainz had made a point of singling out in his recon report. They were a four-person team, a half-elf ranger, a human priest who was probably in his thirties, a young wizard girl and their leader was a young roguish man.

"Well then." I stepped down as the golems in the stands started getting rowdy "You're here."

"In the right corner we have the four reckless fools who trespassed into the Great Tomb of Nazarick!" Aura announced through her microphone "And their opponent on the left side will be the Guardian Stitchstix Willowind!"

"This is my fault." The young girl muttered as I walked close and stood across.

All of them were taller than me, save the girl who was probably just an inch or two shorter than I was.

"We'd have gone even if you hadn't said anything." The elf woman reassured her.

" **Mind Read."** I silently used a spell to start scanning their memories for interesting facts.

"Arche can you identify this thing?" the leader asked "We should apologize we didn't mean to-."

"Hold it." I held up my right index finger "I really don't care, besides apologizing to me won't change what Lord Ainz Ooal Gown thinks of you."

I tipped my neck to the upper box where Lord Ainz was sitting with Albedo and observing.

"You've made a lot of people here pretty pissed off." I looked up and sighed "Though I suppose it's not fair to blame you entirely, that was the plan of the trap from the start. You should think before you go trespassing."

"…what if we had permission." The leader said.

"Ehh?" I tilted my mouth.

 _I already know he's lying but I'm interested…where's he going with this, I know I shouldn't be overly curious with humans but…_

"You're bluffing." I smiled.

"And if I'm not?" he said.

"Who then?"

"Him…you know that monstrous guy." He said "The big guy…"

"He said…if you really have permission of a great one I can think about sparing you." I said "So what did he say?"

"…say Hi to Ainz for me." He gulped.

"Haa…you were doing so well too." I smiled "It it'll make you feel better I already knew you were lying, I already read your mind. KEKEKE good effort though! I think we've said all that need's to be said so…Hekkeran, Imina, Arche and Roberdyck we should begin."

I wrapped my scarf around my neck and lowered my eyes "I've picked up a few new spells recently so we can try them out together."

" **Maximize Magic: Shard Buckshot!"**

I held out my hands and blasted them with Evileye's signature move, one I plucked from her mind back in our duel.

The four rapidly scattered to avoid the magic. I didn't move from my position at first and instead began charging **Acid Fireball.**

"URG!" I growled when two arrows split the air and made a *twick* sound as the dug into my shoulder.

"GRA!" I ripped them out "Sorry this body of mine is pretty might not have the high resistance to projectiles and physical attacks like the other guardians but a few arrows like that can't hurt me."

" **Swampy Pit!"** I palmed the ground

" **Solid Ground!"** the girl reacted quickly to remove the difficult terrain I was trying to create.

I bent back as the leader got close and tried crossing my neck with a scissor like motion.

"This scarf was a gift from my lady." I bent my body back and glared up "Don't you dare sully it."

I reached out to try and grab his face when another arrows split the gap between us and hit my soft hand with such force my arm was pulled my momentum and he escaped.

 _They have some teamwork…but I suppose I tested it out enough._

" **Spell Break."** I tapped my chest.

"BLEH!" the young girl instantly vomited on herself "It's not…possible-ACK!"

"What did you do?" The leader yelled.

"I took off the **Mana Read Block** I casted on myself, I let her see my mana well with her divination."

"R-Run…" she girl fell to her knees "His strenght is just…BLEH!"

" **Lion Heart!"** the priest restored the girls mental state with a spell.

"This is a monster." Arche warned them "We can't stay here. He's not beatable."

"Am I…" I looked at the patch on the center of my chest "I wonder about that…but relax you're not fighting me anymore."

I turned away "Aura! Open the gate!"

* * *

 **NO POV**

"Right." She smiled and some of the other gate's opened "We have a substitution folks, replacing Stitchstix will be the Area Guardians of the Swamp!"

The gates reached their full height and figures walked, slithered and stomped out. The first was the shortest and weilded two daggers that looked to be made of coral, his body was covered in ripped leather that showed off some of his scaly skin, the second was a long woman in a toga with a snake like lower half her forearms covered in golden gauntlets, the last was a thin yet still somehow large dark wood swap treant.

"I'll leave them up to you then." Stitchstix stepped off to the side "I'll be watching and so will Lord Ainz so don't let us down. They seem to like teamwork, perhaps you should split them up a bit."

"Of coursssse Master." Phestroxa hissed.

"Should we split them up as we discussed in the back." Cherrygrowl hummed deeply.

"Fine by me." The fishman suddenly darted in and forced Hekkeran to block "How's about you and I cross blades eh?"

"Bring him this way Como." Dwey cooed.

"We'll all have fun together." Nanami giggled.

"Don't let us down." Moana and Luci hummed together.

"I've never seen a half-elf so clossse before." Phe hissed snagging Imina with her tail "I haven't felt this inspired in agessss~!"

"Hmm." Cherry looked over at the priest and the magic caster before shoving his right arm into the ground **"Druidic Skill: Nutrient burst!"**

He ripped the arm back out, roots and leaves falling away as the appendage was suddenly twice its former size.

"Master has sent us out to deal with you so please try not to be a nuisance I'd hate for that to befall us." He spoke swinging his arm and sending Roberdyck flying **"Wood Hammer!"**

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Finished Vol 7 and decided it was just simpler to jump to the end since so much of it is planning and stuff with no one related to Nazarick. I know Foresight is supposed to fight Ainz but I subbed in the Floor Three guardians cause I want to show them off a bit, guess I'm being selfish and changing the stories for my own characters but whatever.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	23. Chapter 23: Vs Foresight

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

* * *

 **NO POV**

" **Muck Cannon!"**

The hulking right arm of Cherrygrowl blasted out a ball of compacted mud splitting the ground between Roberdyck.

"That was your only warning shot." The treant stomped in, heavy legs ripping up like roots before it slammed into the priest with a heavy right hook breaking his guard "Physically it matters not if you block, my force cannot be withstood."

Not to far from them an actual half decent fight had begun between Hekkeran and Como. Both were roguish dual wielding types so the dancing and flashing of their blades colliding and snapping together was a sight to behold, unfortunately the fishman had hard scales that protected him like a natural armor, so even when Hekkeran would manage to slip through his parry or guard his blades almost always bounced off.

"Outta try using one of those fancy Marital arts of yours." Como flipped back as his daggers glowed bright blue **"Water Gun!"**

A rapid pressurized spray of water shot out and chipped a tip off one of Hekkeran's swords.

"Damn." The man hissed "I just repaired those too."

"Don't get to comfortable." The fishman said.

"Just feeling you out." Hekkeran said trying to maintain a little sanity with a hint of cockiness.

"Oi…oi…" Como flashed shark like teeth and pulled his daggers back "Keep yappin' like that and I'll cut that tongue of yours clean out!"

" **Limit Breaker!"**

Hekkeran finally used a marital art, one that boosted his stats beyond the normal limit of his strenght, using skills like that does damage to ones body so they're the life and death sort.

"TSK! I ain't gonna make a difference!" Como darted back in and started striking at the human, but this time when he had his guard slipped, the blade shanked against his side "The…hell…"

"Heh." Hekkeran smirked.

"You punk!" the fishman roared.

"My, my…" Dewy cooed.

"Thigs are getting heated aren't they." Nanami giggled.

"Maybe we need to lend a hand." Moana hummed.

"Ohh and Como was supposed to do all the fighting for us." Luci pouted "We'll have to punish him later yeah."

"Of course, Sister." Dewy smirked raising her arms "La~"

"Ha~"

"Hmm~"

"Ohh~"

Suddenly all four of the sisters began swaying softly side to side as a lullaby like soothing tone drifted about the air. Suddenly Hekkeran felt like there was nothing there, everything was so…calm.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

"Hekkeran, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" the man blinked and saw a half elf looking down at him "What the…"

"You fell asleep at the bar silly." Arche smiled.

"But we were…" he rubbed

"I knew that last undead killing job was exhausting but this is something else." Roberdyck laughed.

"I guess so." Their leader joked "I just had the weirdest dream…"

* * *

 **Reality**

This time when Como darted in Hekkeran found himself unable to react even close to on time and was stabbed sharply in the shoulder.

"Now so much of a blabber mouth now are ya!" he bit his other shoulder

A siren's song can lure any man into a sense of calm, like they've finally arrived back home after long journey, but all this does…is leave them open to death.

"Hekkeran!" Imina yelled.

"Now just a second." Phestroxa slithered around "We were in the middle of girl time."

Imina wasted no time pulling back her bow and trying to fire a shot right into the gorgon's head, only to have it skillfully and simply batted away by her tail.

"Just what is that man to you?" Phe hummed "Those eyes, you have such sweet eyes."

Stitchstix sat back, watching. It was clear to the doll that the nature of their fate had truly started sinking in. There was no escape.

"Still the sisters had to get involved." It looked over to see all four sirens had switched their arms out for their winged forms and were circling overhead of Como's fight. Siren's had two forms they could go between, their mermaid forms and winged forms where their arms are replaced with angle like bird wings. Their normally stunning features on their faces replaced with more evil looks like dagger teeth and cat like eyes.

"Enough!" Imina suddenly yelled as the fishman went to raise his other knife to her partner's neck "Just let us go!"

"Why?" The sirens all cackled "We like playing with this won maybe we'll keep him!"

"If you don't give Hekkeran back…if we don't return in time the strongest adventurer in the world will come in here…you can at least negotiate with us." She said.

"Nonsense." Dewy laughed "This is merely the last desperate gasp of a girl on the verge of total despair!"

"Hold on!" Stitchstix raised a hand.

" _She must be referring to Momon, Lord Ainz, or more specifically it's Pandora's Actor right now…"_ it thought

"Momon is strong." She looked at them "Stronger than all of you!"

"It makes no difference to me." Stitchstix shrugged "Let's see him come try."

" _Honestly I could probably deal with Pandora's actor if she did manage to somehow get him down here…"_ It said _"Though I'd need my true form for sure."_

"Arche run!" The priest blocked, or at least attempted to block, another hard and heavy swing from the hulking tree.

"…yes run." Imina said "Look at the sky, we must be outside somewhere. We'll buy you time."

"You're going to abandon them?" Stitch asked with a smiled "Kekeke how unexpected."

"Just leave us and go!" Imina told the other girl "Your sisters are waiting for you!"

"I can't it's my fault we're here!" Arche begged.

The trio grouped up, and the older two gave the teen something and all but forced her into the sky.

"Don't let her escape!" Nanami hissed.

"Wait!" Stitch snapped halting the sirens before placing a finger on its head "Lord…?"

"Hmm…" Ainz seemed to be deep in thought "To lay down one's life for their friends…I will make an exception for that girl, find her…make it painless."

"As you wish." Stitchstix manifested his flying black smoke "I'll give the girl a quick death, you finish up here got it."

"Yes Master." Phestroxa smiled.

With their leader departing the others reengaged the thieves.

"Now then darling where were we?" The gorgon slithered around sensually "Ah that's right just about to wrap thingssss up, but not yet…no the face isn't right yet."

"What nonsense are you babbling about." Imina smiled "If I'm going down this is the face I'll wear."

"Now that's the sssspirit!" the reptile cheered and hugged herself "Yessss…it's flowing! OHHH YESSSSS!"

The band holding her anaconda like ponytail back snapped and the snake woke and rose up with a hiss, eyes glowing bright red to match its wearer.

Suddenly Imina was stricken with a painful cramping sensation all over her body, every joint was sore, ever muscle tensed like she had stretched too hard and pulled them all at once. She had heard of gorgons before but she never expected it to happen like this. She looked down and gasped as her pale skin began to turn a sickly grey and black, freezing in place as stone surrounded her flesh.

"Damn…I would have liked to get a little more in." she smiled.

"Still keeping up that face are you." The tall gorgon slid around "Can you keep making a face like that looking at him?"

Imina tried to glare but the stone was rising faster up her hips and back, making turning her body passed the neck impossible.

Phestroxa smirked grabbing her face "Show it to me, that face I'm looking for!"

She turned the girls head and forced her to look at the Sirens, all four sisters cackling like mad and rubbing themselves on Hekkeran's entranced body, moving his hands on their backs and tails.

"You're so manly." Moana giggled.

"And so handsy." Luci laughed.

"Ne Sis can we keep him?" Nanami smiled kissing his cheek.

"I don't see why not." Dewy hugged the boy from behind.

Imina's face twisted downward into a frown, a tear rolling out of her eyes as the stone rose up her neck."

"Hekkeran…" she whispered as the stone pushed internally and froze her lungs, leaving her with no more words.

"Wonderful." Phestroxa smiled as the last of the stone locked away Imina, leaving her with a final tearstained face "I ssshall call you…Lover's Last Gasp."

"Then there was one." Cherrygrowl stomped forward having already caught Roberdyck in a root bind "I can't let you leave though, Lord Ainz asked specifically for you to be captured."

* * *

 **Stitchstix POV**

"Decided to take a rest have you?" I looked down from the girl.

"HA!" she gasped **"FLY!"**

The girl took off immediately knowing that fighting was useless, with surprising speed she soared up towards the sky then…

" **WHACK!"**

She hit the ceiling.

"Sorry I didn't want to be the one to crush the last of your hopes." I said floating next to her "We're not outside…we're on the sixth floor of the Great Tomb."

"Sixth…floor." Arche was practically shivering manically.

"It's quiet beautiful, a feat of wonderous magic wouldn't you agree." I smiled wide "The 41 supreme beings created this world."

"Created…" the girl was stunned.

"Now then I've finished processing your memories from when I read your mind." I said "Arche, you have two sisters, a family in debt and this was going to be the last major job you took before running away with them? I would suggest you take these final moments to think of them.""

I pulled my arms back "You tried very hard, that's certainly admirable. Humans…always working together and clawing for every scrap of an advantage…"

I looked up and simply touched her head. There was nothing she could do, no reason left to fight, no will left. I used a powerful spell, one that would kill her and leave her body unharmed, the only downside was its five-minute channel time, hence why I killed time with some small talk.

"Goodbye." I nodded **"Mind Wiper!"**

I tapped her head and instantly all sense of life left her face, her senses vanished, her skin dulled and her eyes looked empty. All I had done was eliminate her personality and consciousness, leaving her body as an empty husk. With no senses she wouldn't feel the pain as her heart slowly stopped beating.

"Now then…" I reached into her clothes and removed a few small pouches, the ones that her teammates gave her, slowly I opened them "These are…"

 _Gold…_

"Hmm." I tapped my chin and placed my index finger on my head "Lord Ainz…yes it's done…One moment."

I changed fingers so my middle touched "Entoma dear…you were watching, will this suffice…"

"Yes father."

"I'll begin the extraction soon." I felt myself getting another message and changed to my ring finger "What?"

"Master can we keep him~"

"I want to keep thisss one as well."

"I don't know ask Lord Ainz, he might have plans for them." I groaned "Oh and tell Aura to send Quadracile to come pick this girl up."

"I'll make the arrangements." The treant responded.

"Uhh where were we." I tapped my middle finger back "Right I'll get to work here and bring her voice back soon."

"Thank you Master." Entoma said as I popped off my hand and let a grub slip between Arche's lips.

"Now then one last thing." I juggled the coins in my hand and tapped my pinkie on my temple "Hello~"

"HA!"

"Oh good the connection works, I was worried you might have somehow gotten it dispelled." I smiled "Lakyus~"

"You…" she sighed "Wait how are we talking."

"A spell called **Message** combined with my **Mind Link** spell that allowed me to connect us so I can speak when needed…though best not to speak out loud, your thoughts will be enough."

"You can't hear everything I say, can you?!" she gasped.

"What if I could." I snickered.

"Don't you dare!"

"I'm kidding it's cut into an area of your mind so I'll only hear what you want me too." I said looking to my other hand which was juggling three coin purses "Now I have a request, perhaps you can arrange a delivery for me?"

"…what is it?" she sighed "I'm not transporting any of your weird experiments."

"Never, I do that on my own." I smiled "It's a payment of sorts one of my associates can drop it off."

"And where is it going?"

"The Empire."

"…why must you make things so difficult." She groaned.

"You'd be helping some sweet innocent girls." I laughed.

"Tsk…" she hissed "I'll try, no promises especially cause this needs to be extra discreet if people found out I was moving money into the empire it could ruin my house…wait if you have someone dropping it to me why not have them do it."

"You've seen my true form." I said "Most of my associates can't quite go out in public and the person I'm thinking of using would stick out there I'm afraid."

"Just drop it off." She groaned "And don't think you can start coming to me with favors, I'm only doing this once as payback for dealing with that darkness in my sword."

"Of course, oh and check under your desk there should be a small earing there that will allow you to contact me when should you need it."

"I don't plan on calling in Monster backup." She said.

"Right you have Gagaran for that!" I laughed.

"Hmph." She tried to stifle a laugh "If that's all…"

"Yes, thank you, I'll send the funds along sometime soon." I said.

"It was nice hearing from you." She hummed.

"Likewise." I removed my finger.

I looked down at Arche's corpse and saw the chest and neck heaving a bit as though she was going to get sick.

Her lips parted before falling clean off, a tail wriggling behind them.

"Wonderful." I picked up the newly formed Lipbug "Entoma will love you…thank you Arche, you can live on as a voice for my beautiful daughter."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Not sure If I'll do stuff from VOL 8 since it's mostly filler…maybe a scene or two with Stitch and Lupusregina could be fun though.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	24. Chapter 24: Prelude to war

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

 **Sorry it's been so long since an update, been working on other stuff and was letting season 3 wrap up.**

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 **Stitchstix POV**

"Grr." I leaned closer as a bottle oiled over "Still wrong…this won't help."

"Massster." My floor's resident gorgon slithered into my lab "You called for me?"

"Phestroxa" I looked back "Did you bring it?"

"Of course." She hissed as her tail finished entering, dragging her new statue behind it "Whatever do you need it for?"

I walked over and tapped the forehead of the half elf statue, the joints creaked and cracked as the color returned to it.

"Hnnn…" it groaned softly.

"No fair Master." Phe pouted "I made that statue just right."

"And you know my **Living Stone** spell only temporarily animates a statue." I sighed "I'm just using her to drop this off."

I gave the statue woman an envelope and opened a gate to send her off.

"She'll be back within a couple hours and you can admire your work all you want, you should feel honored you were even allowed to keep it I believe Lord Ainz originally had other plans in mind for those Workers."

"Fine." She slithered off "Where are you even sending her anyway?"

"That's not important, you should keep preparing for things like I told you, Lord Ainz battle will be soon and Entoma and I will be away from the tomb for a time so you three will be in charge for a bit." I warned.

Lord Ainz had recently decided to go public with Nazarick with himself as "Sorcery King" and 'allied' with the Empire and all they're annoyances.

Now I was supposed to be managing observations, my normal experiments and some other plans too, we barely even just ended things with that Worker test and we're already moving on to the next thing.

"Demiurge is pushing it too fast, sometimes things need to settle." I groaned "Hmm, maybe that's why this poison keeps coming out wrong, does it need to steep?"

"Father." Entoma came in.

"Yes what is it my sweet girl." I put everything down "What can Daddy do for you?"

"What are you doing?" she tilted her head "Stop that it's creepy."

"You're probably right, I simply thought you might be so happy after your gift you'd need me for something." I laughed "Ah well that's the state of our relationship I suppose."

"…Father."

"Yes?" I turned back.

"About what was said before about the Empire being able to defeat us if they united the humans and one of the guardians…that will never happen right?"

"I appreciate your curiosity." I laughed "No I doubt that could ever happen, at least I don't see any of the others intentionally changing sides…yes I can't see it, not even myself."

"Good." She nodded "Cause if you betrayed the tomb I'd have to kill you."

"Yes." I patted her "Good girl."

She suddenly hugged me.

"Let's make sure we work hard then to please Lord Ainz." I smiled.

 _This war…you're not a kingdom solider so I better not see you on that battlefield Lakyus…I won't be able to protect you there._

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Just some light set up before moving into the battle with the Kingdom.**

 **Till Next Time!**


	25. Chapter 25: Dawn before Battle

_Italics indicate thinking_

 **Bold is for attacks**

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 **Stitchstix POV**

"Hmm." I sighed sitting on the tattered bed in my shack "It will happen soon."

"You seem troubled father." Entoma said.

"Fighting is trouble wouldn't you think?" I said "Especially for the other side who have no idea what they're in for."

She looked at me with a confused tilt to her head.

"Look at it this way, you have goals don't you?" I asked.

"…yes, I want to make You and Lord Ainz happy." She said "As well as seek out the other Supreme Beings."

"So if you died before you completed that?" I said "You would be upset right."

"…yes."

"Well for humans and the like when they go to war they also have goals, whether that be to win, or simply return home to someone that cares about them, a lover, a parent, a child." I tried to explain things to her "So when they don't get to go home, or fail their goal of course they would be upset to, and their family would be upset that they don't return, after all if I went out to assist Lord Ainz and was killed, you'd be sad that I did not return."

"I think I get it."

"Good you're learning more and more every day." I patted her head "That makes me happy my dear."

She hugged me before leaving "Yes Father."

The bigger fight was going to be coming soon, the battle was merely days away and I was a little worried. If Lakyus somehow ended up there I wouldn't be saving her this time, I couldn't not in front of people but it was more than that.

We'd been held up in the tomb so long something about getting so public and rising to the surface worried me. We'd been afforded a lot of freedom by being unknown, sure there were some limitations but I worried being public even with a show of strenght would put undue attention on us.

"This will be our turning point." I hummed biting on my fingers "Things will change from this point on, dramatically so."

I turned to a beaker over a flame and thought.

"My experiments will increase, but at the cost of what." I wondered out loud "It's exciting but terrible…this blasted contradictory morality."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Feel free to message me any questions or concerns.**

 **Nothing major in this one, just wanted to set it up and put out an update. Need to read ahead a bit more to plan.**

 **Till Next Time!**


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